In the Shadow of a Crow
by Frostfeather22
Summary: Many seasons have passed, and Thunderclan has had countless moons of plentiful prey. However, the warriors of the forest have lost sight of Starclan, and now the four clans grow further and further apart. Despite their differences, an evil is coming for all of the clans. Will they band together and rediscover their ties with the cats in the stars or be swallowed by shadow?
1. Prologue

Prologue

A full moon shone down into the camp, illuminating the eyes of a single warrior keeping watch over his clan. The gathering had not gone well, the four clans of the forest growing more hostile every moon. Now all that stood between a battle between the cats of the forest was the ever-weakening clan borders. Thunderclan was not an innocent party in the matters of clan rivalry, and in fact was often the cause of most fights at gatherings. Snakestar was well known for his ruthless accusations and disrespectful mannerisms, both being traits that other clans despised.

As a slight breeze ruffled Bluetoes' shaggy fur, silent pawsteps approached the great gray warrior. He nodded a greeting to the new cat, glad to have his company. Littlestep was an accurate name for the Thunderclan medicine cat. He had a small stature, and was easily mistaken for an apprentice or young warrior. As a cat who found sleep hard to find, he often wandered his way out into the camp at night, providing company for whichever cat was on guard duty.

"As sleepless as ever, I see." With a blink of his deep blue eyes, Bluetoes waved a feathery tail towards the nursery. "I don't mind guard duty these days. From here, I can hear my kits sleeping."

Littlestep purred in amusement as he sat down, wrapping his tail over his small white paws. "They won't be kits for too much longer. They've grown fast despite the harsh struggles of leafbare. They're strong and healthy kits. They will do well as apprentices."

A warm night breeze rattled the branches of bramble that formed the Thunderclan entrance, a gentle reminder of the coming months of newleaf. "My kits have always been strong."

Littlestep twitched his tail. "Not all of them. One has always been small."

The broad-shouldered tom nudged Littlestep gently. "That's true, you were a tiny kit. Your brother outgrew you in a blink of an eye. But you've found your place in Thunderclan. No cat could serve as a better medicine cat."

The clearing grew silent as the two cats listened to the nursery side-by-side. As the moon passed by overhead, the shadows lengthened across the ground, the stars glimmered in the sky, and cats of Thunderclan slept quietly.

"I've had something to tell you, but I haven't been able to put the right words together yet." Littlestep spoke quietly, still unsure of how to proceed. His father's warm blue eyes promised an open mind, and a willingness to listen. "The sky has seemed dark to me recently." Littlestep had always wondered about the mysterious Starclan that existed only in nursery tales, but as he continued his role as a medicine cat, the more he had begun to believe that the cats in the stars actually existed. Most cats didn't believe in the nursery tales, so Littlestep had held in his thoughts for many moons. But too long had he been silent.

"A poison has gripped Thunderclan, but if nothing is done, our clan will be lost into complete darkness."


	2. Chapter 1 Mistykit

Mistykit burst from the nursery, her grayish white tail whistling behind her. "Come on Flakekit! You're so slow!" The little she-cat skidded to a halt as she realized her brother wasn't following her. She raced back to the nursery, her little paws thrumming the ground and throwing up dust as she went. Flakekit was stretching lazily in their nest, Halfbreeze gently grooming between his ears. Mistykit groaned and lashed her tail in annoyance. "Let's go! We're gonna be late!"

"Shush!" An angry hiss sounded from the other side of the nursery, where a still exhausted Willowfall was nursing her newborns. Willowfall's creamy-red fur was matted and ruffled from a long night of kitting. Two little bundles of fur were pressed tightly to the new queen's side. Mistykit's tail went stiff in embarrassment as her mother gave the other queen an apologetic look before ushering her kits out of the nursery.

"Honestly, Mistykit. Willowfall just got her little ones to quit fussing. Don't be so thoughtless." Halfbreeze scolded as she nudged her kits farther from the nursery. The camp was alive with activity as the morning patrol returned, and fresh kill dropped onto the pile. "Now go find Russetsky. It's not polite to keep a warrior waiting."

"But Halfbreeze, I wasn't the one being loud." Flakekit complained, eager to be allowed back in the nursery for a nap. His dark gray fur was ruffled and stuck up behind his ears where their mother had been grooming earlier. His white tipped tail flicking back and forth in his annoyance.

"Come on Flakekit! Russetsky is teaching us how to roll moss today! Besides, you've been inside the nursery all morning!" Mistykit butted her brother with the top of her head, eager to get moving.

Flakekit growled and pushed his sister away, smoothing down his spikey fur. "Can't I just go keep Minnowkit company instead? Or I could stay here and help with the new kits." The little gray tom blinked up at his mother hopefully.

"Mistykit's right this time. You two need to stay out of the nursery today. Willowfall has enough on her mind right now. She doesn't need you two tramping through the den." Halfbreeze licked the top of Flakekit's head reassuringly. "And Minnowkit will be just fine. Littlestep is taking good care of her. Now get going you two."

With heavy steps and a groan, Flakekit followed Mistykit across camp to the apprentices' den. Sitting just outside was a long furred, russet tom, flicking his tail in annoyance. "You're late." Beside him was a large mound of moss, almost as big as Mistykit. The apprentice den had been unused for many moons, and small holes dotted the sides from lack of upkeep. It had been serving as more of a storage area for herbs and moss, and had only been recently cleaned out in anticipation for its next residents.

Mistykit tilted her head, giving the warrior the look that she always gave her father when she wanted to get out of trouble. "Sorry, Russetsky. Besides, Flakekit was the one taking forever this morning. Anyways, did you collect all that moss yourself?"

Flakekit nudged his sister roughly. "You slept in too, Mistykit!"

"Enough." Russetsky frowned at the two kits, his eyes narrowing. "Bluetoes told me I would be teaching three of you. Where's Minnowkit?"

Mistykit glanced briefly at her brother. "She's still sick. Halfbreeze said she should be healthy soon, though!"

"I wish I would have been told, or I wouldn't have collected so much moss." Russetsky sighed and scooped a paw-full of moss in front of him. "If I had known the two of you would be so late, I could have joined the morning patrol, too. Aren't you both supposed to become apprentices soon? No mentor wants an apprentice who runs late all the time."

Mistykit's tail drooped. Russetsky had been one of the warriors she had hoped might be her mentor, but it sounded like he wouldn't be interested in mentoring her now. Flakekit scuffled his paws awkwardly in the dirt beside her, and Mistykit hung her head. Neither of the kits were used to being scolded.

"Hey now, don't be too hard on them." A young black tom padded up behind Russetsky, joining him near the pile of moss. "Don't forget. These two were probably kept up late last night while Willowfall had her kits."

Russetsky huffed in response and began pushing a wad of moss to each of the kits. "I see the morning patrol is back early. Are you helping me or just getting in the way?" He shot a glare at the other warrior. The two were littermates, and despite their similar blood, it was rare to find them getting along.

"Stay and help us with all this moss!" Mistykit squealed, pawing at her mossball, and completely oblivious of the hostility between the two warriors. "Come on, Blackleaf! It'll be fun!"

Blackleaf was another of the warriors on the young she-kit's list of acceptable mentors. The two brothers were young, just recently made warriors, but they were well liked amongst the clan. Blackleaf especially was well respected for his cunning battle strategies and clever hunting techniques. While Russetsky was always called upon for his incredible talent in tracking. The two young toms had no other family in Thunderclan, as they had been adopted into the clan by Snakestar, the clan leader, when they were just kits. Despite their lack of true Thunderclan blood, they fit into the clan as any warrior would.

Russetsky shoved a paw-full of moss toward his brother, who accepted it with a curt nod. "Alright. I'm only going to explain this once, so pay attention." Russetsky directed as he pressed his own moss flat into the ground. "The most important thing about moss is making sure it's dry. No cat will thank you for wet bedding. Especially Willowfall and the new kits." Moving right along, the thick-bodied warrior flicked his paws expertly, folding the moss in on itself and pressing it back into the ground.

Mistykit began flattening her mossball, already a step behind their instructor. Flakekit was struggling beside her, meticulously pressing any moisture out of every strand of moss. The two were obviously struggling, and Mistykit was relieved to see her brother was having just as much trouble as she was.

"How about we go a little slower." Blackleaf cut into the lesson, earning a second glare from his brother, but relieved looks from both kits. "Don't worry about pressing out every last drop, Flakekit. The trick is to pack it lightly, so it is fluffier, and so it's able to air-dry easier." Flakekit looked up from his work and stopped kneading the moss, leaving it fluffy like Blackleaf said.

"No, that wastes time." Russetsky lashed his tail, annoyed at being cut off from his own lesson. Mistykit's round blue eyes bounced between the two brothers, unsure of who to follow. "Get it done quickly, then you can let it sit and dry at the end. The faster you can roll it, the longer it can dry. Now, watch me. This is how you roll it into a ball." Again, with practiced ease and fluidity, Russetsky's flattened out moss was turned into a perfectly formed ball. With a nod, he looked between the two kits. "Now you do it."

With a confident gleam in her eyes, Mistykit followed the same steps as Russetsky had demonstrated, only to have an unkept wad of moss between her paws, nothing like a ball. Before she had time to get disappointed with her work, she noticed that Flakekit's moss looked much more spherical than hers. She lashed her tail in frustration, eager to prove to the two warriors that she had what it took to be an apprentice. After a few more attempts, she felt a tail land softly on her back.

"Don't get too frustrated, Mistykit." Blackleaf had moved beside her, and reached his paws over to her mangey ball of dry, feathery moss. "It takes practice. No cat will master it on their first try." The tall black warrior quickly turned the disheveled heap into a perfectly rounded ball. "It will also help once your paws are a bit larger."

Mistykit's eyes sparkled in admiration as she looked down at Blackleaf's paws, noticing how large they really were. Just one of his paws were easily three or four times the size of hers. They were potentially even larger than her fathers'.

"Errr, I don't think my paws will ever be quite as big as yours though, Blackleaf."

Blackleaf flicked his ears at the compliment. "Don't worry, Mistykit. You never know. You could outgrow me. No cat will know until your older."

"Don't get your hopes too high, Mistykit. Blackleaf has always had large paws, even as a kit." Russetsky stepped back from helping Flakekit and turned a hard gaze on his brother. "Trust me, I know. He flaunted them to just about every cat in the clan while we were apprentices."

"No need to be jealous, Russetsky." Blackleaf flicked his brother's shoulder with his tail. Mistykit's wide blue eyes darted between the warriors, unsure of who to take advice from.

The fours cats continued the moss ball lesson well into the afternoon, until Mistykit's paws felt like they were going to fall off. By the time the four cats had finished, they had a towering mound of well-formed moss balls, ready to make new nests for any of their clanmates. Just as Mistykit thought the job was done, Blackleaf rose to his paws and nudged the two kits up as well.

"We can't just let all the moss sit out here, or our work will have been for nothing. Let's take it to Littlestep in the medicine den." The black warrior picked up several balls of moss, even using his white-tipped chin to carry more between his chin and neck. Russetsky followed suit, leaving four last balls of moss for Mistykit and Flakekit.

Mistykit groaned and her feet complained from being tired as she padded to her designated two balls of moss. She tried to copy Blackleaf and Russetsky, but the moss was too big to carry under her chin, so she managed to just carry both from her mouth, Flakekit doing the same. Despite her tired paws and the strong urge to curl up for a nap with Halfbreeze, doing a task for the clan made her feel proud, so she carried her head high as she waltzed through camp.

The medicine den was humid and cramped, especially with both Blackleaf and Russetsky taking up most of the space. Both of the warriors had very wide-set shoulders, making a smaller cat like Littlestep pale in comparison. In addition to the new intruders, along the far wall of the den was little Minnowkit curled up beside Halfbreeze, blinking awake from a nap.

"I appreciate the moss, but you should have left it outside." Littlestep meowed as he cleared a spot for the new stock, brushing away dust and old crinkled leaves with his tail. "Minnowkit barely got any sleep last night. It's hard to get her to doze off."

Mistykit glanced at her sister from around the moss balls she carried, her heart sinking when she saw how frail and skinny her sister was. Minnowkit had never been as big as Mistykit or Flakekit, but whitecough had done a number on the young she-cat. Halfbreeze also seemed less than pleased by the disturbance, a disappointed glare glued to her tan and gray face.

As soon as Blackleaf and Russetsky dropped their moss along the back wall of the den, they nodded apologetically to Littlestep and left quickly. Littlestep was one of the smaller cats of Thunderclan, but as a medicine cat, he was not only well respected by his clanmates, but by all four clans. He was young, but he did his job well.

Mistykit dropped her moss on the pile and trotted to her mother's side. "Hi Minnowkit. How are you feeling?" She reached forward to touch noses with her sister, but Halfbreeze stopped her with a paw.  
"Minnowkit is still a bit sick, Mistykit. She needs her space until she feels better." Halfbreeze licked Mistykit's forehead gently. "I see you two did well today. You weren't too much of a bother to Russetsky and Blackleaf, I hope."

"Yeah! That must have been so fun." Minnowkit's voice was rough and raspy, but her eyes gleamed with excitement as she blinked away her sleepiness.

"Not at all." Flakekit joined Mistykit by their mother's side. "But it was a lot of work." The little dark gray tom licked at his paws.

"I'm sure it was. But I'm proud of both of you." Halfbreeze purred.

"Yeah, you four were busy. You've saved me a load of time by doing that." Littlestep joined the family, a strange smelling, gooey substance on his paw. "How are you feeling Minnowkit? I have some medicine for you."

"I feel great, Littlestep!" The little she-kit leaned forward, sniffing. "Is it the good medicine or the yucky medicine?"

Littlestep purred in amusement. "The good kind. I added a little extra honey for my favorite patient." The light gray and white tom held out his paw so Minnowkit could lick up the sticky substance.

Mistykit stared in wonder as her sister lapped up the medicine. She had never seen Littlestep use herbs before, and the smell of whatever he was giving Minnowkit actually smelled good. She looked around the den once more, now noticing the neatly organized wall of herbs, the large nest pushed into the far back corner, and the small pool beside the herb store. The medicine den smelled overwhelmingly of different herbs and leaves, but it was cozy. Mistykit could see why Littlestep was often preaching of how much he loved living in the medicine den.

As Littlestep washed his paws in the shallow pool at the back of the den, Mistykit turned to Halfbreeze. "What about our apprentice ceremony? If Minnowkit doesn't get better soon, she's going to miss it!"

Halfbreeze curled her tail around her kits. "You'll all be made apprentices in your own time. You don't need to worry about that."

Minnowkit rustled in her nest, fidgeting nervously. "I'll be fine, Mistykit. So what if my ceremony is a little behind yours."

Flakekit flicked his ears and looked down at his paws. "I don't want the ceremony to be delayed, but I don't want to become an apprentice without you, either." Mistykit nodded along to her brother's words. She felt the same.

A rustle at the front of the den announced Bluetoes' arrival, and the medicine den quickly felt overcrowded as the large gray and white tabby moved in beside Halfbreeze, touching his mate's nose affectionately. Mistykit and Flakekit darted in beside their father, Minnowkit rising shakily to her paws in her nest.

Bluetoes was a large cat. He had wide-set shoulders and long, thick fur. His pelt was dark gray, while his underbelly and chest were a pure white. Across his shoulder was a thin scar that prevented any hair from re-growing over the area. This tips of each of his paws were a bluish-gray, and the tip of his bushy tail faded into gray as well.

"I heard my favorite bunch of kits were in the medicine den." Bluetoes purred, nuzzling each of his kits in turn. "I got worried that something might have happened."

Mistykit shook her head. "Nope! We're just visiting!" She bounced across the den and waved her tail toward the pile of moss. "Look at all the moss balls Flakekit and I made!"

"Impressive as always. I heard good things about you two from Blackleaf as well." Mistykit's eyes shone and she pranced back to her father as he continued. "I'm glad to hear your fast leaners. But in the future, remember not to keep warriors waiting." Mistykit's tail drooped slightly, and Flakekit sighed.

"Kits are always running late, Bluetoes." Littlestep shook out his paws and sat across the den, his whiskers twitching in amusement. "And if I remember correctly, I asked you to be here at sunhigh. It appears that tardiness runs through the family."

"He's got you there, Bluetoes." Halfbreeze purred. "Let's just be thankful that Littlestep didn't take after you in that aspect. Snakestar would have a fit if both deputy and medicine cat were always late."

Bluetoes flicked his ears as he wove around his mate, crossing the den to Littlestep. "So where did you want to speak with me?"

The medicine cat glanced over the other cats in the den, his eye lingering on Minnowkit for a few moments before resting on Halfbreeze. "Would you mind giving us the den? Bluetoes and I have some business with Minnowkit."

Mistykit tilted her head in confusion. "With Minnowkit?" She didn't get an answer as Halfbreeze swept her and her brother out into the camp clearing. "What do they want with Minnowkit?"

Flakekit shook out his fur. "It doesn't matter. Whatever it is she'll tell us eventually anyways."

Halfbreeze nudged her kits farther from the medicine den. "I know you two haven't eaten yet today. Let's go see what the hunting patrols brought in this morning."

Mistykit hopped to her paws, and raced her way across camp. It was later in the day than she had thought. The clearing was beginning to grow alive as cats returned from the day's patrols and began sharing tongues and meals in the center of camp. She had to dodge around Creamfur and Darkdapple who were splitting a large sparrow between them. The fresh-kill pile was well stocked for the first time in moons, and the clan seemed to be in high spirits. Mistykit and her littermates had been born into one of the harshest Leafbares the clans had seen, and the warriors were glad to finally welcome newleaf.

"Mistykit, Flakekit!" From beside the old, currently uninhabited elders den called Blackleaf. He was lounging beside Stonejaw, one of the senior warriors. "Grab some fresh kill and join us!" The lithe young tom's eyes glinted in the sun and his fur was neatly groomed. His tail absentmindedly thumped the ground beside him as he watched the kits swarm the fresh kill pile.

Mistykit chose a mouse for herself, and her brother chose a small vole. Together, the two young cats waddled over to Blackleaf, mouths full of their soon to be meal. Halfbreeze followed behind, carrying a thrush for herself.

"I hear Minnowkit is on the path to recovery. I'm glad to hear it." Stonejaw meowed as Halfbreeze sat beside him. The two were long time friends, the senior warrior was in fact Bluetoes' littermate.

"She's doing much better!" Mistykit mewled through a mouthful of mouse. She swallowed the bite after a sharp look from her mother. "We're supposed to become apprentices really soon!"

"Ah, on that topic, who do you think your mentor will be, Mistykit?" Blackleaf drew a paw over his ears casually, watching as the young gray and white she-kit pondered over his question.

"I want someone really smart." Flakekit said as he looked around the clearing. "Like Spiderflight or you, Stonejaw. I want to learn all the best hunting techniques!"

Stonejaw chuckled and nodded toward a group of warriors that were sharing tongues. "If you want the best hunting advice, go talk to Darkdapple. She caught that vole you're eating."

Mistykit followed Stonejaw's gaze to a lean, black and gray dappled she-cat. Mistykit recognized the warrior as Willowfall's littermate, but Darkdapple had never visited the nursery, so Mistykit had never actually spoken to the tall, lanky she-cat. Darkdapple was sitting beside Russetsky, the two grooming each other absent-mindedly.

Mistykit turned her attention back to the group. "I want a mentor who I can be friends with, and who will teach me everything about the forest." She turned her blue gaze to Blackleaf, catching his eye for a moment before looking down at her paws. She knew Stonejaw would make a dependable, experienced mentor, and she had always admired Creamfur's agility and grace. Speckledstep was an option too, but now Blackleaf was at the top of her list. She liked how easily the young tom seemed to adapt to the other cats around him, and she liked the way he taught.

Halfbreeze pushed the last remaining few bites of her thrush to Stonejaw, who accepted them with open paws. "Unfortunately, you two don't get to pick your own mentors." She licked her muzzle clean before continuing. "That decision is up to Snakestar alone."

Mistykit groaned. "I know that! I can't help it though!"

Blackleaf purred in amusement. "You'll get a great mentor, whoever it is. Thunderclan has the best warriors of all four clans." The dark warrior seems to raise his head higher at his own words.

"Don't be too sure of that." Stonejaw narrowed his eyes. "You're young, Blackleaf. Inexperienced. You haven't seen a real battle. When you do, you'll know just how strong and clever the other clans are."

Blackleaf flattened his ears. "I know exactly how experienced I am." The black tom rose to his paws, shaking a bit of dust from his fur. "I'd better get going. Spiderflight and I are going hunting. Willowfall was craving squirrel earlier."

Mistykit rose to her paws as well. "Can I come?"

"No, you silly kit." Halfbreeze wrapped a paw around Mistykit, pulling her daughter close to begin grooming her fur. Mistykit put up a bit of a struggle as Blackleaf padded away, but slowly drifted off to sleep at the rhythmic caress of her mother's tongue.

* * *

"That's great, Minnowkit!" Bluetoes beamed down at his tiny daughter, who was blinking up at him with wide, excited eyes. Her nose was still runny and every once in a while, her breath would sound raspy, but her eyes shone in the dim light of the medicine den. Bluetoes touched his nose to hers, purring in pride.

"She's gotten a good look as to what it's like here in my den. I suppose the herbs rubbed off on her." Littlestep fell in beside the deputy. Their pelts held the same pattern, but Bluetoes was several shades of gray darker.

"So, does this mean that I can become an apprentice at the same time as Mistykit and Flakekit?"

The two toms exchanged a quick glance. "I don't see why not." Bluetoes rested the tip of his tail on his son's shoulder. "You'll just spend the first few days as an apprentice here in the medicine den learning all you can from Littlestep."

The medicine cat stepped closer to Minnowkit and bent down to be nose to nose with her. "Are you sure this is the path you want? You'll be giving up a lot for the sake of the clan." He glanced briefly at Bluetoes. "You'll never be able to take a mate, or have kits. You give up on training for hunting and battles. Instead you'll learn about herbs and you'll serve Thunderclan as only a medicine cat can.

Minnowkit looked down at her paws for a few moments before matching Littlestep's gaze. "I'm sure." She waved her tail happily. "Besides, I don't need kits anyways. As a medicine cat, every member of Thunderclan will be my kit."


	3. Chapter 2 Bluetoes

Bluetoes

The hint of movement caught Bluetoes' eyes as he led the dawn patrol. A movement just within reach, but outside of the border that separated the clans. As if just to prove that the patrol couldn't partake in an easy hunt, a steak of gray-brown fur shot out from under the forest floor leave, heading deeper into Shadowclan territory.

"Uggh, come on!" Leopardspring paced at the border, his dark brown fur sticking up at his hackles.

"It's fine. Let Shadowclan have it. They need it more than we do anyways." Blackleaf trotted up to his clanmate, nudging Leopardspring back toward the main path. "If they can manage to catch it that is."

Bluetoes sighed. "I assure you, Shadowclan is more than capable to feed themselves, Blackleaf." The Thunderclan deputy waited as the younger toms marked the border before turning back to their path. "Now, let's keep going so we can get back to camp at a reasonable time."

Bluetoes set a fast pace for the patrol, weaving through the undergrowth along the border, leaving fresh Thunderclan scent to ward off any stray rogues or rebellious other clans. Leopardspring and Blackleaf stayed a respectful distance back, but Bluetoes was well aware that the younger toms could easily out-pace him if they so desired. His moons were catching up to him, which was obvious. His paw steps came slower than they had in his prime, and most mornings he found a new type of ache he had never felt before. Regardless, Bluetoes would always carry on for the good of his clan.

Despite the morning stiffness still lingering in his paws, the forest always made the gray tabby tom feel more alive than anything ever could. He relished the breeze that licked across his fur and the smell of the earthy forest floor that crunched at each pawstep. The delicate morning light that wafted through the trees to rest in splotchy puddles on the ground made the recent nightmarish leafbare seem like a distant memory.

Bluetoes leapt lightly over an overgrown root that protruded from the ground and slowed the pace. Through the warm, fresh scents of the forest, one scent could never be overlooked. The sharp, sour stench of Shadowclan. Their markers were fresh and as Bluetoes slowed to a stop, it was obvious what was going on.

"What do those crow food eaters think they're up to!?" Leopardspring surged forward, recoiling at the awful scent of Shadowclan. "The border is five fox lengths that way. The marker is that old gnarled oak."

Bluetoes stiffened. Shadowclan was obviously trying to expand their borders, but he was not willing in the slightest to give up so much of Thunderclan's prime hunting territory. He sniffed the air. With the overpowering scent of the fresh markers, he couldn't tell if there was a Shadowclan patrol nearby. With a flick of his tail, the broad-shouldered warrior strode confidently into what was rightfully Thunderclan territory, Blackleaf and Leopardspring close behind.

"We'll remark this area for now." Bluetoes began weaving amongst the shrubs and trees, leaving his scent behind. "And we'll check back again in today's later patrol."

As the three toms were busy remarking the border, a snapping of a twig announced another cat's presence. Bluetoes followed the sound until he saw the patrol. Four Shadowclan cats bunched together, tails lashing, hostile snarls and glares directed at the three Thunderclan warriors. He recognized one of the cats easily. A thick-furred golden tabby tom.

"Lionfrost, you know as well as we do that you set your markers well into Thunderclan territory." Bluetoes raised his head, his eyes icy blue daggers. He surveyed the rest of the patrol. The two younger cats he didn't recognize. They were most likely new warriors, or just older apprentices. The last cat was tall and lanky, with long claws and a nasty sneer.

"Well, Bluetoes." With an arrogant swish of his tail, Lionfrost narrowed his eyes. "Shadowclan is claiming this territory from now on." The golden tom stepped forward, his patrol following. "But I suppose if you really want it, you can fight us for it."

"Four against three, huh?" Leopardspring stalked forward before receiving a warning hiss from Bluetoes. "Just like Shadowclan to be so mouse-hearted." The young warrior lashed his tail in frustration.

"Easy, Leopardspring. We're not in the position to be fighting right now." Bluetoes didn't doubt his warriors' abilities to fight, but Blackleaf was very young, and Leopardspring was well known to be hot-headed. The best his small patrol could do would be to fight defensively. "A defensive battle won't win us a victory today."

"So we're just going to let them do whatever they want?" Blackleaf was now also lashing his tail, his black ears pinned back.

Bluetoes looked back to Lionfrost. "We've already reset the markers. We're continuing on for now, but don't think for a second that this is over." With a frustrated hiss Bluetoes turned, beckoning for his warriors to follow. He hated leaving things the way they were, but he knew he was making the wisest decision. Risking the safety of his warriors was not something he took lightly.

The morning patrol continued along the Shadowclan border, leaving heavy scent markers as they went. Leopardspring was still riled up, but by the time they returned to the Thunderclan camp, he had calmed down significantly. The camp was still quiet, and only a few cats had stirred from their nests. The morning hunting patrol was just beginning to gather, and Snakestar was chatting with Littlestep just outside the medicine den.

Bluetoes dismissed Blackleaf and Leopardspring, and padded over to Spiderflight, who was sorting the fresh kill pile. The chocolate brown tom straightened up as his father approached, waving his tail in greeting.

"Are you preparing for your hunting patrol?" Bluetoes stretched before sitting beside the lanky warrior.

Spiderflight nodded. "Yes. We're about to go soon, just waiting on Creamfur. She's late as usual." Spiderflight had never liked waiting on others. Bluetoes had never known the tom to be late in his life.

"Don't be too harsh on her. Creamfur was helping with Willowfall's kits late into the night, I'm sure she's still tired." Bluetoes glanced in the direction of the nursery. The small den was cramped with his kits and Willowfall's newborns. The queens would be relieved once Mistykit, Minnowkit and Flakekit became apprentices.

"If she's so tired, then she shouldn't have volunteered for the morning hunting patrol." Spiderflight plopped down next to his father, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "I would much rather leave on time with a cat who won't hold us back than wait for one cat to get her paws out of her nest."

"Oh give the poor dear a break, Spiderflight." A yellow she-cat with dark dapples padded over to the two toms. "The prey will still be in the forest, and we are still going to catch it."

Bluetoes purred in amusement. "Speckledstep has a point. I have no doubt that your patrol will bring back enough prey to feed the clan. Just steer clear from the Shadowclan border for now."

"What's going on? Is everything okay?" Spiderflight mewed, fixing his father with a green stare.

"I need to speak with Snakestar about it more, so for now just avoid that border." Bluetoes stared back. He didn't want his clanmates to stumble into a trap or cause more of a problem along the border with their neighboring clan.

Spiderflight simply nodded and rose to his paws. "I'm going to go get that lazy pile of fur. She's kept us waiting long enough." With a lash of his tail, he stalked off toward the warriors' den.

"Good luck with that." Speckledstep called after him. Creamfur was a kind and caring cat, but her rage when being woken up was famous in Thunderclan.

Bluetoes glanced at Speckledstep. The she-cat's eyes were closed as she soaked up the morning sun. Most cats spoke carefully around the older worrior. Only a few moons had passed since she had lost all three of her kits to white cough. Bluetoes had grown up with the sleek-furred cat, as there were only a few moons difference between their ages. He stayed silent, and closed his eyes as well, allowing himself to relax in the sun as she was.

Light steps followed by a grumbling Spiderflight brought Bluetoes out of his light daze. Creamfur strode through camp, her creamy tan fur billowing behind her as she yawned herself awake. Spiderflight stalked behind her, his whiskers twitching in annoyance. Russetsky, who had been sitting beside the camp entrance also joined the small group.

"Honestly, why do we even need a morning hunting patrol? No cat is awake to eat anything we catch anyways." Creamfur eyed Spiderflight briefly, still angry at being woken up by the tactless tom.

Ignoring Creamfur's question, Spiderflight got straight to business. "Russetsky, Creamfur, I want the two of you to hunt along the river beds. There should be some prey coming out for a morning drink. Speckledstep and I will be hunting around camp and near the ravine. Since the clan is mostly still asleep, any prey around the camp will still be around." He shot a hard stare at Bluetoes. "I want to avoid the Shadowclan border for now. We will leave that to the evening hunting patrol." With a wave of his long brown tail, Spiderflight led the patrol out of camp.

Bluetoes watched as Creamfur's tail disappeared through the camp entrance, and rose to his paws. A glace toward the medicine den confirmed that Snakestar and Littlestep were still in the middle of what seemed to evolved into a heated debate. The deputy sighed before turning his paws in their direction. It was common for the clan leader and medicine cat to butt heads. Their views and motives were always vastly different.

"I'm telling you, Snakestar. A medicine cat must take on an apprentice, just as any warrior would." Littlestep's tone was crisp and short. The usually patient and understanding tom was obviously fox tails past being annoyed. "Unless you expect your warriors to spend time learning about herbs instead of their precious battle training, I suggest you listen to my requests."

"I don't need your suggestions, Littlestep." Snakestar spat. "I don't need some leaf worshiping half-pint telling me what is or isn't best for my clan. It's my clan, not yours."

Bluetoes stepped between the two bristling toms, resting his tail gently on Littlestep's shoulder. "Calm down, Littlestep. What's going on?" He turned a deep blue gaze to Snakestar, who recoiled a bit at Bluetoes' intervention, and now sat with a crinkled sneer on his face.

"I'm just explaining to Snakestar that I plan to take Minnowkit on as my apprentice." Littlestep narrowed his eyes at the clan leader. "But Snakestar doesn't believe that the clan needs a medicine cat apprentice."

"Unfortunately I have more pressing information to discuss with Snakestar right now." Bluetoes flicked his ears dismissively, earning a frustrated hiss from his son. Littlestep whipped around, and stalked back into the medicine den, leaving Bluetoes alone with the sneering Snakestar.

"At least I don't have to listen to that drabble about medicine cat apprentices." Snakestar rose to his paws, and turning, beckoning with his tail for Bluetoes to follow. The clan leader's fur was ruffled an unkept as usual, sticking out in grayish brown spikes across his back. The pair made their way to Snakestar's den, where Bluetoes couldn't help but wrinkle his nose. Old bones and leftover rotten prey were pushed into the far corner of the den, beside piles of old, used moss. It seemed as though the den hadn't been cleaned since before leafbare, despite Snakestar spending almost all of his time secluded there.

"Alright, Bluetoes." Snakestar turned and sat in the middle of his den, his ears pricked and eyes narrowed. "What is this important news you have for me?"

Bluetoes sat as well, wrapping his feathery gray and white tail over his paws. "It's Shadowclan. While out on dawn patrol this morning, we found that they are expanding their border into our territory. One of their patrols found us as we were remarking the border, but-"

"Just what we need." Before Bluetoes could continue, Snakestar was on his paws, a newfound dark excitement in his eyes. "I guess we should pay our Shadowclan friends a visit, shouldn't we?"

"Snakestar…" As Bluetoes searched for words, the other tom began pacing the den. "We shouldn't be too hasty with this. The last thing we want is to start an all out war with Shadowclan. Something could have happened that would drive them into our territory. They might need help."

"Help?" Snakestar snapped a glare at his deputy. "And where was the help we received over leafbare when our clan was suffering? When I lost not one, but two lives to grreencough? And whichever queen it was that lost her kits! How terrible." Snakestar paused for a moment and one beady brown eye danced over to Bluetoes. "It wasn't your queen, was it?"

Bluetoes couldn't help the fur that stood up along his shoulders. "No, it was Speckledstep that lost her kits. The kits she had with Jaggedtuft. Your brother."

Snakestar looked at his paws for a moment and huffed. "A shame. Oh well." He continued pacing. "This is a perfect time to take Shadowclan a battle. It's been a while since I've been able to sink my claws into another cat."

"I really think we should plan this a little more, Snakestar." Bluetoes began to regret even bringing the problem to the clan leader's attention. "I think if we just mark our border a few extra times per day, or keep a sentinel to keep watch over that area, we could avoid a battle."

"I'm starting to think you're afraid of a little conflict, Bluetoes." Snakestar sneered with a lash of his tail. "I want to fight. If you're too mouse-hearted, I can always leave you here with the queens and kits."

Bluetoes rose to his paws, easily towering over the clan leader. "I assure you, Snakestar, I'm not afraid of a fight. But I am afraid of sending our cats to battle without preparing them first."

Snakestar hissed and shrank back from his deputy. "Fine. I'll give you two days. Prepare our warriors or do whatever you want. But we will take a fight to Shadowclan. Before they visit us."

Bluetoes nodded somberly and turned to leave. As he stepped out of the den, Snakestar called him back. "Oh, and Bluetoes. Don't forget about Halfbreeze's kits. We'll be taking them. They're meant to become apprentices today if I'm not mistaken."

Bluetoes whipped around to come nose to nose with Snakestar. "My kits stay here. They have no training, they'll only get injured."

Snakestar's hackles rose at the direct challenge and his eyes narrowed into beady dark slits. "That's fine. Minnowkit will be training to be a useless medicine cat after all. She can heal them after. Now get out."

Bluetoes ducked out of the den. His kits were not meant for battle. They were only 6 moons old! The thought of little Minnowkit fighting an enemy warrior made his blood run cold. He glanced briefly in the direction of the medicine den. He needed to smooth things over with Littlestep, as well as inform the small-statured medicine cat about Snakestar's new plans. Despite his worries about his eldest son, his paws took him to the nursery. Inside, Willowfall and Halfbreeze were sharing tongues, while the three newborns snoozed in their nest.

Halfbreeze's ears snapped to attention at Bluetoe's arrival. The slender tan and gray she-cat gave Willowfall's fur one last lick before exiting the nursery and pressing her nose into Bluetoes' shoulder. Bluetoes loved times like these. Halfbreeze had always seemed to know when he was upset and she always knew how to calm his emotions.

"We need to talk." Bluetoes' deep meow rumbled through his chest. "Where are the kits?"

"With Blackleaf." She motioned her tail in the direction of the apprentices' den. "He's teaching them how to patch up holes. Apparently the apprentices' den is full of them. Your kits are getting restless. It's about time we held their apprentice ceremony." She fixed her warm green gaze on her mate. "What's wrong? I can tell something is bugging you."

Bluetoes sighed. "It's Snakestar. He's becoming more and more hostile every day." He met Halfbreeze's eyes for a moment before continuing. "He's taking a battle to Shadowclan-"

"What?!" Halfbreeze yowled in shock, her tail lashing. "He can't! Why?"

"Hush!" Blutoes glanced aorun the clearing, glad to see that no cat overheard. "He wants to march into Shadowclan territory tomorrow night. This morning we found them expanding their territory past our border. Snakestar wanted to attack today, but I was able to talk him out of it for now."

"Bluetoes, we can't! The clan is barely recovered after such a harsh leafbare. Shadowclan probably suffered just as much as we did. Shouldn't the clans be helping each other right now?"

"I agree with you." Bluetoes hung his head. "But I can't think of anything that will change Snakestar's mind this time. It's getting harder and harder to make him see sense."

"What about the other senior warriors? They might be able to help. Go talk to Jaggedtuft, he knows Snakestar better than any cat."

"You're right…." Bluetoes stared at his paws. "But first I need to talk with Littlestep. I'll come talk to you again later." With one last touch of their noses, Bluetoes left his mate beside the nursery. Before he took two pawsteps he looked back at her over his shoulder. "Snakestar is planning to have the apprentice ceremony today."

A look of excitement spread across Halfbreeze's face, but Bluetoes turned once again and padded off towards the medicine den. There was no way he could give her the news about the kits going into battle. Not until he could do everything in his power to prevent it.

As he grew closer to the medicine den, Bluetoes could hear activity inside. "Calm down, it's just a thorn!" Littlestep called, followed by a loud, high pitched squeal. Bluetoes pushed his way inside to see Littlestep and Minnowkit working together to pin Sparkclaw down, a long, thin thorn in between Littlestep's teeth.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Minnowkit squealed as Sparkclaw pulled himself to his paws. Littlestep spit the thorn out in the back of the den before returning to the dark gray and russet warrior.

"Let me see your paw." Sparkclaw held it out gingerly for Littlestep to inspect. The short gray tom licked at the paw pad briefly before nodding his approval. "The thorn wasn't deep. You shouldn't need any ointment this time." Littlestep sat back on his haunches. "But if it gets infected, come back. It shouldn't, but just in case, go to the stream and wash out your paw."

Sparkclaw nodded and set his paw down tentatively, wincing in preparation for pain, but a look of relief spread ver his face as he realized his paw was no longer sore. "Thanks Littlestep!" He rose to his paws and made to leave, nodding to Bluetoes on his way out. "Hey! I'll bring you something good from the fresh kill pile as a thank you!" He called before darting out of the den as if he had never been whining in pain merely moments before.

The soft lump of Minnowkit had attached herself to Bluetoes' chest, purring as she nuzzled her father. Bluetoes couldn't help the pur that rose from his throat. His kits had always had that effect on him. He licked the top of her head before pushing her away gently. "You seem to be feeling better."

"I feel great!" As if to prove her point, the seal colored she-kit bounced over to Littlestep, wove around him in a circle and pranced back to her father's side. "My cough is completely gone!"

"I'm glad. Just in time too." Bluetoes looked up to Littlestep. "I hear Snakestar approved your request to be a medicine cat apprentice." His words caught Littlestep's attention, who had been disposing of the thorn Sparkclaw had brought in.

"He approved? That's surprising." Littlestep turned away from his work to face his father. "He didn't seem too pleased with the idea earlier."

Bluetoes opened his mouth to speak, but Minnowkit beat him to it. "Snakestar doesn't want me to be your apprentice? Why not?" Her tail drooped as she looked up at her soon-to-be mentor. "Does he not think I'll be good enough?"

"You will be a perfect apprentice, don't worry." Littlestep swept a gentle tail over her back. "Don't concern yourself with anything Snakestar says. For now, that's my job." He nudged the kit toward the den entrance. "For now, go find you littermates. I have to talk with Bluetoes for a while."

Minnowkit bounded from the den without a second thought. It had been moons since she was allowed out of the medicine den without either Littlestep or her mother following her around. After her bushy tail disappeared from view, Bluetoes grew serious and sighed.

"I'm sorry for brushing you off this morning." The deputy meowed.

"It's fine. You convinced Snakestar to allow her to be my apprentice anyways, so you did me a favor." Littlestep sat down and wrapped his tail over his paws. "What was this big important news you mentioned before?"

"It's Shadowclan. They expanded into our territory this morning, and now Snakestar is planning an invasion for tomorrow night." Bluetoes was getting exhausted with having to repeat his news so many times in just one morning. "The only reason why he agreed to allow Minnowkit to be your apprentice is because he expects the other kits to fight with us as apprentices tomorrow."

After a brief moment of shock, Littlestep shook his head. "We can't let that happen. They would get killed in a real fight. They don't even have well-developed claws yet."

The two toms grew silent, the only sound in the den was the rhythmic dripping sound of the pool in the far corner. Littlestep rose to his paws and padded over towards the side wall, surveying his stores of herbs. Bluetoes wasn't familiar with most of the strange leaves Littlestep had stocked up, but even he could tell that the stock was running low.

"I have barely any cobweb, and most of my supplies dried up over leafbare. With Minnowkit being sick and confined to my den I haven't had the chance to replenish most of it." Littlestep nosed a pile of leaves at his paws. "And even if I did go foraging, most of the plants would just have begun to grow in the new season. With what I have right now, I could maybe treat three cats with mild injuries."

"I'm going to talk with the other senior warriors about this." Bluetoes rose to his paws. "You should take another cat with you and go find some herbs to replenish your stocks… Take Halfbreeze. She could use a trip out of camp right now."

Bluetoes left the medicine den to find his senior warriors. Speckledstep had left for her hunting patrol previously, but Stonejaw and Jaggedtuft sat together just inside the camp entrance. As Bluetoes approached, his old friends greeted him warmly. As he recounted to them the happenings with Shadowclan, and Snakestar's decision, he was greeted with the same reluctance he had felt with the whole plan.

"Has my brother gone mad?" Jaggedtuft looked in the direction of the highrock, where the leader's den was situated. "Thunderclan is in no position to invade Shadowclan's camp right now."

Stonejaw nodded in agreement. "We would be fighting a loosing battle. Shadowclan would outnumber us two-to-one."

"And he wants to take your kits? What is he thinking?" Jaggedtuft lashed his tail. "We've lost too many young lives the past few moons as it is."

Bluetoes rested the tip of his tail on the brown striped tabby's pelt. "I agree with you Jaggedtuft. I don't want to take them either, but we need to come up with a plan before Snakestar makes any hasty moves."

Stonejaw nodded in agreement. "What do you have in mind?"

"Stonejaw, I want you to lead today's dusk patrol." Bluetoes scanned the clearing, mentally deciding which cats would be best to accompany his brother. "We need unreactive cats. Warriors that definitely won't start any border disputed with Shadowclan."

"I'll join as well." Jaggedtuft said, "I've been on guard duty all day. I wouldn't mind the opportunity to stretch my paws."

Bluetoes gave his friend an appreciative look. "Thank you, Jaggedtuft. If something happens, they could use you. You should take Sandfur and Darkdapple as well."

"Darkdapple?" Stonejaw questioned, "She hates border patrols."

"I know, but she's fast, and she's the last cat to act out." Bluetoes eyed one of the younger warriors who sat across the clearing, chatting with Leopardspring. The warrior was usually patient and optimistic, but he was talkative and competitive. "And Sparkclaw. Just keep an eye on him, don't let him cause any more bad blood between us and Shadowclan than there already is."

Jaggedtuft followed Bluetoes' gaze. "He'll be fine. Sandfur will be there as well. She's always been able to mellow out her brothers."

"Good. So that's decided." Bluetoes sighed briefly before continuing. "Let those cats know they're on dusk patrol. Remark the border while you go, and try to keep your heads down. I don't want any fights today. I need time to think about what we are going to do about Snakestar's plans."

"Honestly, I don't know why we have to sit around and plot behind my brother's back while he's too busy being a badger-brain." Jaggedtuft locked eyes with Bluetoes. "You should be our leader, Bluetoes. You could lead our clan better than Snakestar ever has."

"The other clans hate us for what Snakestar has turned us into." Stonejaw added. "You could easily restore Thunderclan to the dignified, respectable clan we used to be."

Bluetoes waved his tail dismissively. "You both shouldn't talk like that. The last thing we need right now is for the clan to become divided. Snakestar has been our leader for moons. Uprooting him now would be a disaster for every cat."

Jaggedtuft lashed his tail. "Snakestar is just a self-absorbed fool. But you're right. At least for now."

The three toms sat together for the rest of the morning, working out strategies and plans. The sun was slinking through the sky, shifting the shadows of the camp across the ground. A rustling of the camp entrance announced the return of the morning's hunting patrol. Spiderflight was in the lead, a mouthful of mice in tow. Speckledstep, Creamfur and Russetsky had all been successful on their hunt as well. Despite their predicament, Bluetoes couldn't help the rush of pride as his clanmates stocked a now overflowing fresh-kill pile. A successful hunt never failed to have a joyous effect on the entire clan.

Bluetoes dismissed the other senior warriors as Speckledstep brought a plump squirrel to Jaggedtuft for the two to share as they sat together. Spiderflight carried the largest of the mice he had caught toward the nursery for his mate and kits. The clearing was growing busy as if the clan had no worries at all. Even Snakestar emerged from his den to eat a lonesome meal in a patch of sunlight. Bluetoes watched his clanmates. It was hard to imagine that these same cats would be invading and attacking another clan in just two short days.

A burst of energy erupted from the apprentices' den as Mistykit, followed by Flakekit and then Minnowkit burst into the clearing, barreling toward the fresh-kill pile, Blackleaf emerging from the den behind them. Bluetoes' whiskers twitched in amusement as his three kits bickered over the prey until each of them had their own decently sized mouse.

Mistykit waddled over to her father, mouse dangling from her jaws. She dropped it at his paws and looked up at him eagerly. "Do you want to share?"

Minnowkit pushed her sister aside and dropped her mouse at Bluetoes' paws as well. "No! Share with me instead!" Earning her a glare and a shove from Mistykit.

"I'll share with both of you." Bluetoes crouched down and took a small bite from each of his daughters' prey. Flakekit also joined them but kept his mouse to himself.

As Bluetoes ate with his kits, Stonejaw approached him, his gray fur puffed up around his shoulders from a recent grooming. "We're heading out for the patrol. I'll let you know what we find when I get back."

Bluetoes nodded a thank you, as he watched the rather large patrol disappear through the camp entrance. He trusted this group of cats, and didn't forsee any difficulties, but regardless, he wished them luck as he turned back to his kits

Spending time with his kits had always made Bluetoes more at ease. They had this way of melting away the worries he had as a clan deputy, and replacing those emotions with pride and adoration for the small bundles of fur that he cherished. However, this meal was different. His tiny little furballs had grown, and he knew this would be their last meal as kits. They would be apprentices soon, and they would be introduced into the what could be quite cruel world of what being a warrior meant. When all he wanted was for time to go by slowly so he could savor this moment with his kin, the moment passed all too quickly.

The day was growing to a close and the last rays of sun changed the sky overhead into a swirling mixture of pinks and oranges. Minnowkit and Mistykit had dozed off while sharing tongues, and Flakekit had busied himself with scraping dirt over his sisters' uneaten prey. Littlestep and Halfbreeze returned from gathering herbs, and Bluetoes' heart sank when he saw the small, pathetic strings of too-young herbs. It looked as though the young medicine cat's stock still hadn't regrown from the harsh cold that had frozen everything over leaf bare. One they had delivered the small piles to medicine den, Halfbreeze joined her mate beside their kits.

"We hardly found anything." Halfbreeze meowed solemnly. "Littlestep pulled just about everything he could find. Now the herbs are going to take even longer to regrow."

Bluetoes sighed. "I feared that might be the case. Snakestar won't listen. He's set on the invasion plan."

Halfbreeze looked to her mate with unease. "Why would Snakestar be so rash? Can't he see the clan isn't ready for this?"

"I'm afraid he doesn't see sense about many things lately." Bluetoes glanced toward the leader's den, where Snakestar had disappeared to not too long before.

Bluetoes nodded toward Flakekit, who was within earshot. "Let's continue this talk later."

Halfbreeze flicked her ears in agreement. The kits needed to be thinking about their next moons as apprentices, not about what was going on with their clan leader. Bluetoes glanced around the clearing. Those in the dusk patrol were the only cats missing. Even Willowfall was peeking out of the nursery, talking with Littlestep and Spiderflight.

Movement on the highrock caught Bluetoes' attention. It was Snakestar. The lithe brown tabby sat at the top of the rock, his tail swishing behind him. Bluetoes rose to his paws and quickly made his way over.

"Snakestar!" Bluetoes hissed up to the clan leader, "Are you holding a meeting?"

"Of course I am." Snakestar fixed his deputy with a cold stare. "I don't need your permission."

Bluetoes took a few steps back. Why was Snakestar so defensive? And why hadn't he talked to Bluetoes about a meeting beforehand? Anxiety began to course through his pelt as he watched his leader call the clan to attention.

"All cats, gather before me! We are having a clan meeting!" Snakestar called, ignoring the traditional speech used to call the clan's attention. His ears were pulled back, and his tail swished from side to side as he waited. "Where is everyone? Why is it taking so long?" Snakestar peered down at Bluetoes for answers.

"Most of our senior warriors are out of camp, on patrol." Bluetoes surveyed the cats that had gathered. The only ones missing now were the dusk patrol, Willowfall and her kits. "The dusk patrol should be back any moment."

"Fine. We don't need them anyways." Snakestar hissed, rising to his paws. He padded up to the very edge of the high rock, until his claws hung over the edge as he looked down on his clan. "We are gathered for a ceremony. Bluetoes." He flicked his tail to his deputy. "Gather your kits. It's time they were made apprentices."

Bluetoes jumped to his paws. "Their ceremony isn't scheduled until tomorrow. Halfbreeze hasn't prepared them."

Snakestar's eyes narrowed. "Their ceremony happens when I say it does."

With a frustrated hiss, Blutoes looked to Halfbreeze. The kits were already with her, Mistykit bouncing in excitement. The ceremony was coming as a surprise, and Halfbreeze looked less than pleased as she nosed her kits forward to the front of the crowd.

"Very good. Let's get this over with quickly, so we can get on with the day." Snakestar looked at the kits without a hint of fondness. "Minnowkit, you're first."

A mixture of pride and frustration churned in Bluetoes' belly. Snakestar hadn't even discussed proper mentors for Flakekit and Mistykit with him. But as he watched Minnowkit timidly step forward, excitement for his daughter overshadowed his misgivings.

"Littlestep has decided to take you on as a medicine cat apprentice, congratulations." Snakestar announced, rushing through her ceremony.

Littlestep padded forward, his eyes gleaming. Dispite Snakestar's rudeness, the ceremony was an important moment in the young cats' lives. Littlestep and Minnowkit touched noses before padding to the side of the high rock together.

"Mistykit, you're next." As Snakestar continue the ceremony, Stonejaw and his patrol returned from remarking the borders. At first Stonejaw seemed confused, but as he noticed the kits in the front of the gathered cats, he knew wat was going on.

"Ah, good of you to finally join us." Snakestar greeted the returned patrol. "Mistykit, your mentor shall be Russetsky."

As Mistykit bounced forward, Bluetoes' heart sank. Russetsky had been Bluetoes' apprentice not even two moons ago. Bluetoes trusted and believed in the young warrior's skills, but surely there were other warriors more experienced to guide his kit?

Russetsky stepped forward slowly, the deep red warrior watching Mistykit, who pranced up to him, her eyes glimmering with excitement. But before they were able to touch noses, Russetsky turned away to face Snakestar, his tail hanging low.

"I'm sorry, Snakestar, but I don't think I'm ready to be a mentor." A silence hung in the air at Russetsky's statement. "I'm not as experienced as some of the senior warriors, so I think Mistykit would learn much more from a cat who has been a warrior for more moons than I have."

Mistykit's tail drooped until it touched the dirt underpaw. Snakestar thrashed his tail and gripped the high rock tightly with his claws. "Fine. There is another warrior who will do far better anyways."

Russetsky took a step back until he way sitting beside his clanmates once again, leaving mistykit alone in the center of the gathered clan. Bluetoes locked eyes briefly with Halfbreeze, whose gaze burned like daggers. She was beyond angry.

"Blackleaf," Snakestar called the black tom forward. "I don't think you'll disappoint me as your brother has. You've always been a smart and capable cat, I doubt you would have any problems teaching Mistykit."

"I would love to be her mentor." Blackleaf stepped forward to a once again eager Mistykit and the two touched noses. Blackleaf turned to guide the young she-cat toward where Littlestep and Minnowkit sat watching the rest of the ceremony.

"Flakekit!" Flakekit stepped forward as his name was called, the young tom was neither excited as Mistykit had been, nor nervous as Minnowkit. He appeared calm and confident, admirable for a cat as young as he was. Bluetoes could help the rush of pride her felt for his son as Snakestar ontinued the ceremony. "Since Russetsky doesn't want to participate in the raising of our young, Stonejaw will be Flakekit's mentor."

Stonejaw, who had just returned from patrol, and who had had no warning of a new apprentice, looked briefly taken aback. The older warrior quickly maintained his composure and greeted his new apprentice with a purr.

"Now, welcome our new apprentices! Minnowkit! Mistykit! Flakekit!"

The clan joined in on chanting the new apprentices' names, Bluetoes one of the louder voices as he wove between his clanmates to nuzzle each of his kits in turn.

 **Phew! I've been working on this chapter for a while. I really enjoyed exploring the story as Bluetoes sees it, as he is one of the only characters so far that really sees what Snakestar is like. Bluetoes is an interesting character, as he sees first hand how corrupt the clan leader is, but he isn't one to jump right in and challenge Snakestar. He definitely likes to have a plan before he does anything, as he is one who has a hard time believing in himself. The others see him as a naturally born leader, but he has always doubted his own decisions. Hedefinitely relies on the counsel of his friends and family to help him make the decisions one must make a deputy. I hope you can all see the beauty in Bluetoes, as he is definitely a flawed character. He is always trying to please every cat, but over his years as a warrior, he has learned that doing so is practically impossible. which ends up in him getting caught between doing what is right for the clan, obeying his role as a deputy, protecting his kits as a father, and doing what he believes is the right thing. Let me know what your thoughts are on Bluetoes!**


	4. Allegiances

**~~~~~Leader:~~~~~**

• **Snakestar** *(46 moons)

o Dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes and a cross-shaped scar over his left shoulder.

o Littermate: Jaggedtuft

o Past apprentices: Darkdapple, Sandfur

 **~~~~~Deputy:~~~~~**

• **Bluetoes** (63 moons)

o Thick-furred, dark blue-gray tabby tom with a white chest and underbelly. He has a white-tipped tail, blue-gray toe tips and blue eyes.

o Mate of Halfbreeze.

o Father of Littlestep, Spiderflight, Minnowpaw, Mistypaw and Flakepaw.

o Littermate: Stonejaw

o Past apprentices: Russetsky

 **~~~~~Medicine Cat:~~~~~**

• **Littlestep** (32 moons) **Apprentice: Minnowpaw**

o A small, light gray and white tom with a dark gray stripe down his back and tail. Green eyes.

o Littermate: Spiderflight

 **~~~~~Senior Warriors:~~~~~**

• **Stonejaw** * (63 moons) **Apprentice: Flakepaw**

o Thick-bodied, muscular tom with gray fur and a light gray underbelly. He has short fur, two black paws, gray eyes, a wide set black-tipped jaw, and a thick scar over both shoulders.

o Littermate: Bluetoes

o Past apprentices: Sparkclaw

• **Speckledstep** (58 moons)

o A lithe, sleek-furred, yellow she-cat with black dapples, amber eyes, large paws, and faint dark stripes on her legs.

o Mate: Jaggedtuft

o Mother of: Sparkclaw, Leopardspring, Sandfur (adopted) and 2 unnamed, recently deceased kits.

o Littermate: Halfbreeze

o Past apprentices: Creamfur

 **~~~~~Warriors:~~~~~**

• **Jaggedtuf t** (46 moons)

o Olive brown tom with a darker colored underbelly and chest with faded tabby stripes. He has a large scar across his chest. Amber eyes

o Mate: Speckledstep

o Father of: Sparkclaw, Leopardspring, Sandfur (adopted) and 2 unnamed, recently deceased kits.

o Littermate: Snakestar

o Past apprentices: Leopardspring

• **Spiderflight** (32 moons)

o Chocolate brown tabby tom with lighter markings and a dark chest and underbelly. Long legs, whiskers, and tail. Short fur and green eyes.

o Mate: Willowfall

o Father of: Blazekit and Maplekit

o Littermate: Littlestep

o Past apprentices: Blackleaf

• **Darkdapple** (24 moons)

o Dark gray she-cat with black dapples and a white chest. She is tall and lanky. Blue eyes.

o Littermates: Willowfall and Creamfur

o Mentor: Snakestar

• **Creamfur** * (24 moons)

o Pale ginger she-cat with lighter tabby markings. Soft, feathery fur and green eyes.

o Littermates: Darkdapple and Willowfall

o Mentor: Speckledstep

• **Sandfur -** * (16 moons)

o Sand-colored she-cat with a tan chest and underbelly. Amber eyes.

o Littermates: Sparkclaw and Leopardspring

o Mentor: Sandstar

• **Leopardspring -** * (16 moons)

o Well built, pale gold tom with mottled brown spots. Blue eyes

o Littermates: Sandfur and Sparkclaw

o Mentor: Jaggedtuft

• **Sparkclaw** * (16 moons)

o Russet-colored tom with a gray-tan underbelly, chest and face. Amber eyes.

o Littermates: Sandfur and Leopardspring

o Mentor: Stonejaw

• **Blackleaf** (12 moons) **Apprentice: Mistypaw**

o Pure black tom with yellow eyes and two white socks on his rear paws. Medium length fur with a splash of white on his chest. He has unusually large paws and is very large in stature.

o Littermate: Russetsky

o Mentor: Spiderflight

• **Russetsky** * (12 moons)

o Dark ginger/russet colored tom with a lighter underbelly, chest, face and tail. He has two lighter ginger socks on his rear paws, and has long, flowy fur. Thick-bodied with yellow eyes.

o Littermate: Blackleaf

o Mentor: Bluetoes

 **~~~~~Apprentices:~~~~~**

• **Flakepaw** \- * (6 Moons)

o Large, dark-gray tom with a snow-colored tail, havy build, strong hind legs and pale orange eyes

o Littermates: Minnowpaw and Mistypaw

o Mentor: Stonejaw

• **Mistypaw** – (6 moons)

o Light gray she-cat with tabby markings and a white underbelly, chest, paws and underside of her tail. Blue-gray eyes and white chin

o Littermates: Minnowpaw and Flakepaw

o Mentor: Blackleaf

• **Minnowpaw** – (6 moons)

o Dark, fawn colored she-cat with a lighter underbelly, chest, tail tip, paws and face. Sleek, glossy fur, thin frame, and blue eyes.

o Littermates: Mistypaw and Flakepaw

o Mentor: Littlestep

 **~~~~~Kits:~~~~~**

• **Blazekit** – * (0 moons)

o Bright ginger she-cat with a white chest and paws. Long, thick fur and green eyes.

o Littermate: Maplekit

• **Maplekit** – * (0 moons)

o Light, chocolate-brown she-cat with a lighter underbelly and chest. She has dark colored points, flowing fur and green eyes.

o Littermate: Blazekit

 **~~~~~Queens:~~~~~**

• **Halfbreeze** – Mother to Littlestep, Spiderflight, Mistykit, Minnowkit and Flakekit, mate to Bluetoes (58 moons)

o Gray she-cat with a cream underbelly, legs, chest, neck and face. Gray muzzle, ear tips and toes. She has a stocky build with sleek, soft fur and Gray eyes.

o Mate: Bluetoes

o Mother to: Littlestep, Spiderflight, Minnowpaw, Mistypaw and Flakepaw

o Littermate: Speckledstep

o Past apprentices: Willowfall

• **Willowfall** \- (24 moons)

o Creamy-ginger she-cat with long, flowy fur. She has a lighter colored underbelly and chest with dark paws and green eyes.

o Mate: Spiderflight

o Mother to: Blazekit and Maplekit

o Littermates: Creamfur and Darkdapple

* * *

 *** This is the version of Allegiances with a ton more information about each of these characters. Keep in mind, some of this will be subject to change ;)**

 ****Also, a note: I have marked for each cat who their littermates are. There are a few cases that you will see throughout this story where cats may be sibling, but not be littermates. Take Halfbreeze's kits for example. Littlestep and Spiderflight are littermates. While they are also siblings to Flakepaw, Mistypaw and Minnowpaw, they are from separate litters that occurred many moons apart.**

 ***** Many of these characters do not belong to me. Those that fall into this category will have a * beside their name. I am including them in this story with the permission from the forum A Sky without Stars, as this is basically just a side story from that forum. A few of the characters have been changed a bit to fit them into the story easier, and as the story progresses, some characters that were originally made as a single kit with no littermates, may end up having a littermate. I tried to keep all of the changes to a bare minimum, and I hope I get most of these characters right!**


	5. Chapter 3 Ashflight

**Ashflight**

"Ashflight!" A stern meow echoed through the cave as a thick bodied tom stalked his way toward her. "Your apprentice isn't doing her work again. All of the moss she brings back has thorns."

"Alright, Rainheart. I'll talk to her again." Ashflight sighed. The brawny warrior-medicine cat was always quick to snap when the apprentices weren't following through with their daily tasks. Lately, with hunting and battle training filling up all of the apprentices' schedules, Ashflight could hardly blame them for being tired at the end of the day.

"Fine. Just make sure they dry the moss too. You have no idea how often I have Barktuft in my den complaining about his sore hips, or shoulders, or paws." Rainheart growled as he peered around Ashflight to see the three apprentices stretching as the rounded the corner from where their den was situated.

Ashflight waved him off with her tail. "Good timing. I'll talk to them now. Go take care of Barktuft's sore… Whatever." She turned abruptly, and approached the groggy young cats. Shadepaw, Darkpaw and Ivypaw had been apprentices for a few moons, and their progress was impressive. They were all competitive with each other, which helped to push them to improve faster. Every once in a while, Rainheart or some other warrior would complain, but Ashflight couldn't be prouder.

The apprentices' den was bordered by a few large stalagmites that veered away from the main wall of the Sahdowclan camp. The V-shape between the cave wall and the rocky growths created a sheltered inlet for the young cats to situate their nests. The rest of the Shadowclan cave was dominated by a large pool of fresh water that constantly trickled in from holes in the cave ceiling. Across from the cave pool was highledge, a large rock that jutted out from the side of the cave wall, surrounded by large boulders. That was where Peakstar made his den, and below the highledge was a small outcropping for the very small fresh kill pile. Ashflight leapt lightly over a small puddle before being greeted by her apprentice.

"Good morning, Ashflight!" Darkpaw chirped, her eyes sparkling in the new morning's light. "Are we doing more battle training today?"

Ashflight flicked her apprentice warmly with her tail before nodding. "Yep. Just the two of us this morning."

Disappointed groans followed from the other two. "I wanted to practice my moves too!" Ivypaw unsheathed her claws letting them scrape against the stone floor underpaw. "No way am I going to let Darkpaw get better than me!"

"You'll get you battle practice time in today too, don't worry little Ivypaw." Sharpnose, a dappled yellow tom joined the group, nudging Ivypaw gently. "We've got tracking practice today." He meowed, beaming.

"Uggh, again? I hate stalking practice! I'm no good at it!"

Sharpnose reeled back, "First of all, it's tracking practice. And I thought you loved it!"

"I did on the first day." Ivypaw shrugged. "Honestly, Sharpnose I think you're the only one who would willingly practice tracking techniques."

"Tracking is one of the most important skills to know as a warrior!" Sharpnose blinked down at his apprentice. "Did I ever tell you about the time that I saved three Shadowclan kits that had wandered from the camp to go hunting on their own?"

"Yeah, you tell me that story every time." Ivypaw looked to Ahsflight with a pleading look.

"Well, I don't think I've had the chance to tell Darkpaw or Shade-"

"That's great, Sharpnose. I'm sure you'll have plenty of other chances to tell them." Lionfrost, Shadepaw's mentor wove into the group, his dull ginger pelt brushing against Ashflight's side as he passed. "Anyways, Shadepaw and I are catching the morning patrol. We'll see you four later."

Without a word, Shadepaw trotted off behind his mentor, joining up with a small band of warriors that lingered near the cave's entrance.

Ashflight rose to her paws, twitching her whiskers as Ivypaw once again shot down Sharpnose's offer to tell a story. The morning light filtered in through the scattered holes in the cave ceiling, peppering the floor with warm sunny patches. Ashflight's stomach growled, but she ignored the hollow gnawing that was ever present in her belly. Shadowclan had plenty of kits that needed the prey first.

"Let's go, Darkpaw." The young apprentice bounced to her paws, eager to start the day. With a goodbye to Sharpnose and Ivypaw, Ashflight led the way out of camp. As soon as she emerged from the entrance tunnel, a brisk morning breze ruffled her ear fur. Ashflight had always loved the air up on the mountain that Shadowclan called their home. From where she stood, it was easy to see over the treetops of the forest, and she could just make out the dark crack in the ground that was the gorge, on the opposite end of Shadowclan territory, where their border met with Thunderclan's.

Picking her pawsteps carefully, Ashflight made the decent down the steep cliff the Shadowclan cave was situated on. Moons of paws had paved a winding trail down the mountainside, so it was easy to navigate. But for any cats that weren't used to it, the Shadowclan camp was exceedingly difficult to find. With a light thud, Ashflight landed on the forest floor, her paw met with the sharp snap of pine needles. She continued on, weaving between trees and following a well-made trail through the pines. As the trekked across the territory, the trees gradually became more populated, closing in on the two she-cats, and the ground underpaw began to shift into a more mushy mixture of damp pine needles and old leaves.

"Why aren't we having our battle training in the old cave?" Darkpaw called from behind.

"I thought we could use a bit of a change of scenery." Ashflight slowed to a walk, until she was walking shoulder to shoulder with her apprentice. "The stone meadow just seemed more appealing today."

"The stone meadow?" Darkpaw gave an excited meow. "We've only trained there a few times! Ivypaw will be so jealous!"

Ashflight purred in amusement. "You're excited now, but the walk back to camp after a day of battle training is always exhausting. You'll see."

In the marsh, the air was stagnant. Water dripped from the trees to cling to Ashflight's ashy-gray fur, and the ground under-paw was silent at each pawstep. Even the usually crisp pine needles were too damp to crackle as the two she-cats trode on them. Leafbare had been harsh, and the promise of newleaf had kept the clan's hopes up. But now, as Ashflight scanned the undergrowth, she couldn't pick up on a single sound of life. With a concerned sigh, she leapt over a line of large rocks, her paws hitting the grass of the meadow with a soft thud.

The stone meadow had been an important piece of Shadowclan history for as long as any elder could remember. It was a small clearing, free of trees and undergrowth that allowed for spacious training. The soft grass under-paw always offered a forgiving place to land and throw attacks. Lining the meadow on all sides were rocks of all shapes and sizes. More rocks than Ashflight could count in a day. Each one represented an apprentice that had become a Shadowclan warrior. Every rock had a story, as placing one's rock was always a momentous occasion for a new warrior.

Ashflight glanced over to a portion of the rock circle, where three paw-sized rocks were piled together. Two gray and one brown. Those had been the rocks placed by Ashflight and her littermates when they became warriors together, many moons ago. She could clearly remember helping Mudtail search for hours to find his rock. Shimmerclaw had had hers' picked out for moons as she trained, but Mudtail had never been a cat to plan for the future. A bouncing ball of fur brought Ashflight's attention back to the present.

"What kind of moves are you teaching me today?" Darkpaw was stretching her paws out in the grass, her glossy red-brown coat glinting in the sunlight. The humidity in the air seemed to cling to her pelt just as it was to Ashflight's, leaving Darkpaw's coat laced with shiny black tabby stripes. "Ivypaw is always blabbing about how great of a hunter she is, so I want to be able to blow her away with my battle moves!"

Ashflight purred in amusement as she found a relatively dry patch of grass to sit in, curling her fluffy gray tail gently over her paws. "Well, you'll definitely get a good head start. But you're still working on the basics, remember?" Ashflight flicked away a mosquito that flew by her ears. "So, to start, show me your dodging rolls."

Darkpaw nodded at the instruction and began practicing. Ashflight was always drilling defense into the young she-cat. Darkpaw was easily the best of the three apprentices at dodging and weaving between her opponents. Ivypaw was a great hunter but lacked the stamina for facing a quick opponent like Dustpaw, and Shadepaw never really showed much interest in hunting or fighting. He had always been one to prefer the organized tasks that the apprentices were in charge of.

"Good." Ashflight cut in as Darkpaw pounced out of a neatly tucked roll to the side. "Never forget. In actual combat, it is always more important to protect yourself first, and then attack the enemy." Darkpaw nodded in agreement. It wasn't the first time the young she-cat had heard that from her mentor.

Darkpaw continued tucking and rolling until she began panting. "All this rolling is making me dizzy!"

"Good." Ashflight got to her paws and padded over to her apprentice. "Now, try attacking me."

"What?" Darkpaw looked at her in confusion. "But I just said I was dizzy. Shouldn't I take a break first?"

Without warning, Ashflight lurched forward, gliding over the grass like a bird. "In actual combat, you're always exhausted. You never get a break." She shot out a gray speckled forelimb, swiping at Darkpaw's paws, only for the apprentice to jump back nimbly.

Ashflight pressed on, driving Darkpaw backward at every swing. As she watched the young she-cat bouncing around as she dodged, Darkpaw fell into a rhythm. First to the left, then the right, then back. Left, right, back. Left, right—THUMP!

"Good. But you're too easy to read." Ashflight straightened up, grinning down at the tangled up Darkpaw. "Never fall into a rhythm while either attacking or defending. Any trained opponent will read right through it. Knocking you over was too easy."

Ashflight drug a paw of an ear, smoothing down her fur as Darkpaw got back to her paws, shaking out a few pine needles that clung to her shoulders. Ashflight was always amazed at how resilient the young she-cat was. Not every apprentice was able to practice dodging rolls over and over, only to be knocked to the grass by their mentor without needing to rest. Already, Darkpaw was recovered and ready to begin again.

"I know that being able to avoid attacks is important, but can you teach me a fighting move too?"

Ashflight met her apprentice's eyes for a few heartbeats before sighing. "Alright, but just one. And I don't want you to forget about practicing your defense maneuvers just to perfect the attacking move. Okay?" She fixed Darkpaw with a piercing blue stare.

Darkpaw beamed with excitement. "Of course I won't forget to practice dodging! That's the most important thing, right?"

"You've got that right." Ashflight glanced around the clearing. She hadn't prepared to teach any attack moves yet, but how could she say no to such a hard-working, honest cat? She thought back to her own apprenticeship, trying to remember the first fighting move Fawnleaf had taught her.

"Alright. This is the best move to know as an apprentice, since right now you're so small." Ashflight crouched down so she was about eye level with Darkpaw. "It's easier to let you figure it out by experimenting then just by me telling you. Just on my back and hang on. While up there, you'll be able to scratch, claw and bite while keeping yourself protected."

Darkpaw's eyes widened. She hadn't expected Ashflight to teach her this kind of move. Following directions, the young dark tabby leapt awkwardly onto her mentor's back, straining to keep a grip and hang on while keeping her claws sheathed.

"Alright. Now try to hang on, and get in as many hits as you can while you're up there." Ashflight called up as she rose to her full height, the stocky apprentice on her back. Ashflight hadn't expected Darkpaw to weight quite so much, but she still managed to give the apprentice a wild ride, lurching and stopping randomly to try and knock the young she-cat off. Darkpaw stayed glued to her mentor's back, stabbing her paws into Ashflight's ribs and neck whenever she got a chance. Without warning, Ashflight lurched to the side, tucking in her legs and rolling over on her back, Darkpaw crushed underneath. Darkpaw laid on the ground, winded from being rolled on top of, and Ashflight stood panting and covered in pine needles beside her.

"That was a dirty trick!" Darkpaw panted as she rolled to her feet, huffing."

"Well, now you know what to watch out for in the future." Ashflight shoock out her fur, most of the pine needles falling into the grass. "That move is great to use when your smaller than your opponent, especially if you can team up with another apprentice to help you."

Darkpaw nodded and reached over to help pluck pine needles from her mentor's coat. As she swatted a needle from Ashflight's back, Darkpaw sat back on her haunches and glanced down at her paws.

"Ashflight, you're really skinny." The young she-cat fiddled with the grass under paw. "I didn't notice before because your fur is so thick, but are you eating alright?"

Ashflight winced as Darkpaw brought the topic up. "You don't have to worry about that, Darkpaw. It's the warriors' job to keep the clan fed, even if that means we have to skip a meal or two."

"But… I think you've skipped more than a few meals." Darkpaw glanced up at her mentor. "Am I supposed to skip meals too? I didn't know."

Ashflight flicked Darkpaw with her tail. "No, you silly mousebrain. You don't need to worry about these kinds of things yet. For now, all you need to concentrate on is your training."

Darkpaw eyed her mentor for a moment before nodding in acceptance. Ashflight breathed a sigh of relief. This wasn't her favorite topic to discuss. Despite her stance on giving up meals for those of her clan mates that needed it more, the jagged feel of her spine and the sharp edges of her hips when she curled up in her nest had always made her self-conscious. She looked forward to the day where prey was plentiful again and she could return to the healthy weight she was used to.

The pair of she-cats practiced until they were both exhausted and left slumped in the grass, the sun high above their heads. The grass around the little meadow was smeared and pressed into the ground, leaving marks of where they had been wrestling together. The air was still heavy, and Ashflight's fur felt as though she were dragging it along at every step. After a few moments to catch her breath, Ashflight shook out her pelt and got to her tired paws.

"What do you say Darkpaw," She meowed over her shoulder to her apprentice. "Let's go to the creek before heading back, and we'll cool off."

"I thought you'd never ask!" Darkpaw chirped.

Ashflight led the way through the marsh, keeping a steady pace, checking behind her every once in a while to make sure Darkpaw was keeping up. As they grew farther from the stone meadow, the trees slowly began to thin, and Ashflight could feel a slight breeze meet her whiskers. The ground under-paw was beginning to grow harder, loosing the soppy pine needles and damp leaf litter. Soon the line of trees broke to reveal a gushing creek, tossing and turning over rocks and sand, filled more than usual from the recent snow melt from not too many moons before.

Darkpaw rushed forward, crashing into the icy blue water with a delighted yowl. Ashflight followed suit, relieved to feel the sticky humidity washed from her fur instantly. The creek was cold. It swallowed up the heat of the day like a hungry badger, quickly leaving Ashflight with a chill. She stuck to the shallows, as did Darkpaw. The current was stronger than usual, and Shadowclan specialized in climbing rocks, not swimming through fast running water.

"That felt great! The water is as cold as ever." Ashflight meowed as she waded out of the shallows and back onto the creek bed. She lapped up a few mouthfuls of water, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her back. Her fur dripped around her paws, clinging to her frame and enunciating how thin her body was becoming. Darkpaw splashed in the water as Ashflight began rhythmically grooming her fur dry.

As the sun moved in the sky, Ashflight and Darkpaw were nearly dry, completely rested up from their long training session that morning. As the two set their paws towards the Shadowclan camp, a rush of orange tabby fur came up from behind them. It was the morning patrol, most likely just returning to camp as well.

"Hey Ashflight," Lionfrost peered at her, flicking her shoulder with an orange tail tip. "You two are soaked. Did a badger push you in?"

"Very funny, Lionfrost." Ashflight glanced at the rest of the patrol. Dustfire and Stalkwind were with him as well. Shadepaw tailed behind them, stopping to sniff at Darkpaw's messy fur, dropping a freshly caught mouse at his paws. "Darkpaw and I were training earlier, and the marsh is really humid today."

"Well, it is a marsh." Lionfrost pointed out, grinning as if he knew everything. "Marshes are usually humid."

"Ew." Ashflight turned her head to see Darkpaw retaliating from her brother in disgust. "You really smell like Thunderclan."

"We should be getting back to camp." Stalkwind meowed as he and Dustfire edged away from the group.

Ashflight leaned forward until her nose brushed against Lionfrost's fur. How had she not caught the scent earlier? "Shadepaw, where did you catch that mouse?"

The young apprentice cast an anxious glance at Lionfrost. "Uh, near the Thunderclan border."

Ashflight narrowed her eyes and turned her gaze back to a bristling Lionfrost. "Did you lead your patrol over the border?"

Lionfrost just shrugged and turned away from her. "Well, that depends."

"On what?" Ashflight lashed her tail, annoyed. "You either crossed it, or you didn't! We shouldn't be causing border disputes with other clans right now. We have enough to worry about as it is."

"Let's go." With a cold glare at Ashflight, Lionfrost flicked his tail at his companions to join him, and all four darted off back to camp.

"What a mouse brain! He has no idea what he's doing." Ashflight hissed in frustration before beckoning to Dustpaw with her tail. "We should head back too. I'll a least talk to Mouseleap about this." She padded away, only to stop when she realized that Darkpaw wasn't following. The young she-cat was staring at her paws.

"What's wrong?" Ashfligt turned to face her apprentice.

"He was lying."

"Who?" Ashflight retraced her steps back to Darkpaw.

"Shadepaw." Darkpaw looked up and met her mentor's eyes. "When he said where he caught the mouse. He lied. He's my brother. I know him better than any cat, and I can tell when he's not telling the truth."

Ashflight sighed. "I figured." She nudged Darkpaw gently. "Don't be mad at Shadepaw. It's not his fault. Now, let's head back."

Together, the two she-cats made excellent time on their way back to the cave. As they slipped through the cave entrance, Darkpaw was panting behind her. She still wasn't completely used to the climb back up to the cave. It took most cats many moons to build up the muscle and stamina to handle the climb without getting winded. As Ashflight looked around, the cave was beginning to bustle with activity. Most cats had returned from their day of tasks, and many were sharing meals in the patches of sunny spots that filtered in from the ceiling.

"Ashflight, is it okay if I go talk with Shadepaw?" Darkpaw slipped into the cave behind Ashflight.

"Actually, Darkpaw, you should do your cave chores first." Ashflight glanced at Darkpaw, to see the young she-cat's eyes grow shadowed. "It shouldn't take you too long. Plus, that will give you some time to think about what to say to Shadepaw."

Darkpaw shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Okay. I'll see you later, Ashflight!" Darkpaw called as she turned her paws to the medicine hollow.

"Make sure you do a good job!" Ashflight called, "I don't want to hear from Rainheart about soggy bedding tomorrow!" Darkpaw shot her an apologetic glance before disappearing around the corner of the medicine hollow.

Ashflight turned back to the main cave, scanning the cats that were lounging around. Lionfrost had found himself a cozy sunspot beside Sharpnose, and Ashflight saw the ginger tabby shoot her a glare before he turned back to gossiping with his littermates. Tornpetal and Barktuft were busy sharing tongues in a large patch of sun near the elders' den, and Mudtail was posted on guard of the glowstar tunnel.

The glowstar tunnel was a long, winding path that lead down through the mountains, under Shadowclan and Thunderclan territory to the glowstar cave. Ashflight had never been to the glowstar cave, but she knew that Rainheart made the journey every halfmoon where he would trade herbs and treatment ideas with the medicine cats from the other three clans. Ashflight had always been slightly unnerved by the snaking dark tunnel at the back of the cave, but her brother, Mudtail was one of the clan's two permanent tunnel guards. He knew the ins and outs of the tunnels like the underside of his paw.

A pale, sandy colored coat caught Ashflight's eye and she trotted towards it. "Mouseleap!" She called once she got closer. The clan deputy was sitting with the other senior warriors, sharing a thrush.

At Ashflight's approach, Mouseleap turned and pressed a nose to Ashflight's fur in greeting. "What is it?"

Ashflight eyed Darkflower and Tigerflame briefly before turning back to Mouseleap. The small dusty she-cat would most likely end up discussing the matter with the senior warriors anyway.

"The morning patrol." Ashflight began. "I think Lionfrost may have led them into Thunderclan territory for some reason."

"I know." Mouseleap sighed. "That's what we are discussing now. Dustfire told me as soon as the patrol returned."

"We'll take care of this. No need to worry." Tigerflame meowed, his thick ginger fur glistening from the sunlight reflecting off the cave pool.

Ashflight nodded and left the trio to their planning. Despite Tigerflame's reassurance, anxiety still prickled its way into the back of her mind. Soft paw steps sounded behind her, and Ashflight lifted her head to see that Mouseleap had followed her.

"Honestly, Ashflight. Believe what Tigerflame said. We will handle this." Mouseleap licked behind Ashflight's ear lovingly. Her mother had always known when Ashflight was still unsure about things. "I can tell when you're conflicted."

Ashflight nodded to confirm Mouseleap's words. "I just feel like we should really be careful. I don't know. Thunderclan has never been the best of friends with Shadowclan. And if something happens…"

"You've always been one to over worry about things." Mouseleap nodded in the direction of the nursery. "Go talk to you sister and visit with the kits. She always makes you feel better."

Ashflight blinked gratefully as Mouseleap before turning her paws toward the sounds of high-pitched voices. Waspkit and Snailkit were pawing a rock back and forth between them, squealing with triumph every time. Lilywing sat behind her playing kits, nodding in and out of sleep as she watched her two kits. At Ashflight's approach, the pale yellow queen blinked her dreary eyes.

"Oh, Ashflight. Shimmmerclaw is inside." Lilywing yawned mid sentence. "The kits are all awake, so go right in. Stalkwind is in there now."

Ashflight nodded her thanks and padded around the large boulder that hid the nursery entrance. As always, the small hollow smelled of milk and pine, and the layer of warn pine needles under-paw were soft.

"Ashflight!" Shimmerclaw rose to her paws, from where she had been laying beside Stalkwind. Three little bundles of different shades of gray were busying themselves by crawling all over their father. The plump, light gray queen pushed her cheek into Ashflight's shoulder with a purr. "You have no idea how lonely it gets in here."

Ashflight purred in amusement. "Shimmerclaw, how are you lonely? You have three kits full of energy, not to mention Lilywing and her kits."

"Plus, I visit you at least three or fours times a day. I practically live here too." Stalkwind rumbled in his deep voice. "I'm surprised Lilywing hasn't kicked me out by now."

Shimmerclaw returned to her mate, sitting beside him. "We would never kick you out, Stalkwind. Our only break is when you're here to pay with the little ones."

Ashflight sat across from the two, and the smallest of the three kits tumbled her way to Ashflight's paws. The little she-kit was a dark gray, with a white left forepaw being her only marking. Ashflight nosed the little kit back to her paws, and was rewarded with a light nibble to her paw.

"Moonkit, how many times do I have to tell you?" Shimmerclaw scolded. "Nibbling is not an acceptable means of saying 'thank you'." The little kit squealed and dove into the feathery fur of Ashflight's belly.

"Sorry, about earlier, Ashflight." Stalkwind meowed, glancing down at his paws. "I meant to say something at the creek, but I was kind of embarrassed. I wasn't expecting you to catch on."

"What happened?" Shimmerclaw's eyes widened as she exchanged glances with her sister.

"Darkpaw and I were at the creek when the morning patrol stumbled by us." Ashflight began. "Stalkwind was there, led by Lionfrost."

Shimmerclaw groaned. "I know this isn't going to be good." She fixed her mate with a stern stare. "I tell you this all the time. You're a great cat, Stalkwind, but Lionfrost takes advantage of you and gets you into trouble." The queen turned back to Ashflight. "Alright, what else?"

Before Ashflight could continue, Stalkwind spoke up again. "We crossed the Thunderclan border and reset Shadowclan's markers. Within their territory."

Ashflight narrowed her eyes. "You did what? You are a bunch of mousebrains! Lionfrost had no right to make that decision!"

Stalkwing nodded in agreement. The usually passive and quiet tom had a lot to say on the subject. "At first, it was just Shadepaw who accidentally crossed the border while chasing a mouse. He came right back, but Lionfrost just… snapped. We could hear all of the prey on Thunderclan's territory, so he just decided to cross the border and claim a small part of it for Shadowclan. At the time, I didn't think it was really that bad. Thunderclan had the rest of their territory, but right after we left, one of the patrols passed by and Lionfrost acknowledged them."

Ashflight stared blankly at the tom before her. "Did you tell this to Mouseleap?"

"Dustfire talked to her. I don't know how much she told Mouseleap."

Shimmerclaw flashed out a paw, smacking her mate over the head. "Stalkwind, you really need to stand up every once in a while and defend the warrior code. You've always been too passive."

Moonkit shot out from under Ashflight's belly and copied her mother, swiping a little paw at her father's muzzle. Ashflight couldn't help but purr in amusement as her sister apprehended the little kit for striking Stalkwind. After Moonkit got a talking to, Shimmerclaw turned her motherly glare onto Ashflight.

"And you." Shimmerclaw's eyes softened, but they were swimming with worry. "Eat something. Ashflight, you're skin and bone. The others can't tell, but I can see right through all that fur. Honestly, you worry me. Stop taking all of the clan's worries onto your own scrawny shoulders."

Ashflight just shrugged. "I can't help it. If I know one of my clan mates is going hungry, I just don't have an appetite."

Shimmerclaw pushed Stalkwind from her nest, motioning for him to leave. With one last loving nuzzle to each of his kits, the broad shouldered tom slipped past the boulder and left the two she-cats alone with the kits.

"Ashflight, if you don't eat, then how do you expect to protect the clan?"

Ashflight didn't have any response for her sister. Her feelings of duty and responsibility for the clan were hard to put into words. Being a warrior meant giving up for the clan, right?

"Next time, you can have my meal, okay?" Shimmerclaw pawed her sister lightly in the shoulder. "Besides, with all this resting in the nursery, I could use a diet."

Ashflight stayed in the nursery for much of the afternoon, playing with the kits and gossiping with her sister. One by one the kits began falling sleep, curled against their mother's side. To keep from waking them, Ashflight waved goodbye with her tail and wove around the boulder at the entrance of the nursery to see Waspkit and Snailkit playing a new game beside their mother. Climbing the nursery's boulder was always a past time for older kits, but it always stressed out the queens.

Ashflight noticed that Mudtail had been relieved from guard duty, Stoatwhisker now taking his place. She made her way into the main cave. Shimmerclaw's words echoed in the back of her mind. She needed to eat. Her sister was right.

Ashflight peered down at the scantily clad fresh kill pile. She didn't have much of a choice. All that was there was a plump thrush, a frog and a couple small mice. She grabbed the smallest of the options, one of the mice, and made her way over to where Sharpnose and Mudtail were sharing a vole. She sat beside the two toms and dropped her fresh kill between her paws. "You and Ivypaw caught all that, right, Sharpnose? It's been a while since the fresh kill pile has been this well-stocked."

The pale dappled tom nodded in appreciation. "Thanks, but it was a combined effort. Shadepaw brought back some prey after the morning patrol as well. Although, Ivypaw is really becoming a great hunter. She caught that big thrush all on her own."

"Impressive." Mudtail murmered.

Ashflight agreed with her brother and leaned down to take a bite of mouse, but was interrupted by a high pitched wail from the nursery. She glanced up to see Lilywing with her two kits between her paws, obviously bored from attempting to climb the boulder.

"But I'm hungry!" Waspkit shrieked at his mother. The little yellow and black striped tabby slunk to the ground, Lilywing wrapping her tail around him to pull him closer. Ashflight couldn't hear the consoling words the queen spoke to her kit, but she couldn't help but notice the bony points of Lilywing's shoulders and hips. She was surely just as hungry as Waspkit was.

Ashflight sighed and rose to her paws, leaning down to pick up her mouse. The clan came first. It would be another hungry night. Shimmerclaw was sure to understand.

"Thank you, Darkpaw."

Ashflight's eyes snapped back up to see little Darkpaw dropping her vole in front of Lilywing and the kits. The young dark tabby said a few words before returning to where she had been sitting with her siblings, who were both still eating their meals. Ashflight's heart soared with pride, and she padded over to the trio of apprentices, dropping her mouse in front of Darkpaw.

"I'm sure Lilywing will be happy that her kits will have full bellies tonight."

Darkpaw beamed up at her mentor. "I'm only being like you."

A rock sank inside Ashflight's chest. Darkpaw's words were the last thing Ashflight wanted the little dark tabby to say.

 **Welcome to Shadowclan! In answer to a previous question, yes. I will be jumping around the different clans. Thunderclan is going to stay my main focus, but here and there I'll have a chapter about some other interesting cats from one of the four clans. When reading, watching or hearing a story unfold it is really easy to believe that the good guys are good and the bad guys are just bad. This is prime evidence that Shadowclan are not these jerks that are stealing Thunderclan's territory for no reason. Nope, it was a single cat, (not naming any names) that decided to be an idiot and act independently. Although, keep in mind, that cat also had good reason to do what he did.**

 **On the topic of Ashflight, she is an extremely flawed character. She has some really great strengths, including her relationships with the cats around her. She is an honest cat and she tries hard to protect the ones she cares for. She's a great teacher for Darkpaw, and she is not afraid to stand up when some cat does something dumb. However, her kindness and love for her clanmates leads her to make devastating decisions that aren't healthy for her own sake.**

 **I'll be posting a Shadowclan allegiances here soon so you can get a better picture of who makes up this clan on the mountain.**

 **Let me know who your favorite character is so far! I'm curious! (And depending on your answer, I most likely will give them their own chapter)**


	6. Chapter 4 Littlestep

**Littlestep**

Littlestep padded carefully around the heap of fur that hung out of her nest. Minnowpaw hadn't even had to clean her old moss from the medicine den, before she permanently moved in as Littlestep's new apprentice. The medicine cat had never had an apprentice before, so teaching was something fairly new to him. Through her moons staying in his den as a sick patient, Minnowpaw had caught on to a few of his more commonly used herbs, and Littlestep was grateful to have an apprentice that was so attentive.

"You seem anxious." Minnowpaw's tail thrummed behind her lazily as she fixed her gaze on her mentor.

"No, I don't." Littlestep brushed her comment off, avoiding her gaze.

"I've been sharing a den with you for moons. I might just be an apprentice, but I can tell when something's not right."

Littlestep's ears flicked backward as he shot the young she-cat a warning glance. "You should be studying herbs, nothing more." He busied himself with a pile of old leaves that were obviously too dried-out to be of any use. "There's a lot going on right now. That's all."

Minnowpaw's attention was peeked. "What is it?" She pushed herself up until she was sitting, her ears angled forward eagerly.

"Nothing to concern yourself with now. Are you going to get started on your chores or just stay in your nest all day?" He turned toward Minnowpaw, flicking his tail in slight annoyance. He didn't like being questioned but holding information back from Minnowpaw seemed wrong.

"I'm going to be a medicine cat one day, I'll have to learn how to deal with problems at some point, right?" The little fawn she-cat stretched in her nest with a yawn.

"One day, but not today. You're too young to have that kind of responsibility on your shoulders." Littlestep swept the small pile of leaves out of the den in silence. His shoulders were tense as he made his way back, flashing his apprentice another glance before sighing. "You'll find out at some point today anyways. For now, just train like normal. Focus on your herbs and go ask Willowfall if you can practice your bandaging skills on her."

Littlestep watched in amusement as Minnowpaw hopped to her paws excitedly, bouncing towards the back wall, their previous argument forgotten. She always told him how she loved spending time with Willowfalls kits, and bandaging was one of her favorite skills to practice. Littlestep surveyed the herb stores, stepping over multiple recently wrapped packs of leaves and herbs that he had made the day before. Minnowpaw came up behind him, shooting a paw towards the dwindling store of cobwebs, only to be swatted away by her mentor.

"Don't use up the stores just for practice. Go find some of your own." Littlestep meowed as he straightened the rows of herbs. "There's plenty in the elders' den right now."

"What leaves should I use as a wrapping?" The fawn-brown she-cat meowed.

"You only use leaves for deep or infected wounds. For now, just practice your cobweb bandaging." Littlestpe answered, quickly taking a mental inventory of the herbs that needed replacing. "Oh, and let me know if any of the kits are sniffling!" He called as he heard Minnowpaw's pawsteps fade from the medicine den.

Littlestep sighed, stepping back from the rows of herbs he had been counting. Minnowpaw had always been too observant for her own good. The small-statured tom glanced toward the entrance to the den, and with heavy paws, he padded out, greeted by a bustling Thunderclan camp. He spotted Minnowpaw across the clearing but veered towards the group of senior warriors that had gathered at the base of high ledge.

"If, and I mean if, we actually go through with it, we need to have a plan." Jaggedtuft meowed as Littlestep joined the group.

Bluetoes nodded a greeting to the medicine cat before responding to the other warrior. "I agree with you, but I'm still trying to convince Snakestar that there doesn't need to be any fighting."

"Especially if he wants to involve my kits!" Halfbreeze was there as well, eager to make her voice be heard. Littlestep flinched at his mother's words. Minnowpaw and her littermates were moons away from being ready to be involved in any clan conflicts.

Stonejaw briefly rested his gray tail on the she-cat's shoulders as he spoke up. "I agree with all of you." His meow was deep and rumbling as he continued. "We need to plan for the worst to make sure we win any battle and protect our new apprentices."

To Littlestep's surprise, Blackleaf was also sitting with the group, despite the young tom's age and lack of experience. The black warrior stepped forward, addressing the other cats. "Shadowclan's camp will be difficult to raid. I would suggest sending in our strongest warriors first to secure the entrance."

Littlestep noticed a few hostile glares directed toward the young tom.

"Have you even been to Shadowclan's camp before?" Halfbreeze asked pointedly.

Getting no response from the young black warrior, Bluetoes redirected the conversation. "Stonejaw is right. We need to have a plan. Who has been to Shadowclan's camp?"

The group was met with silence. Shadowclan and Thunderclan had a history of bad blood between them, but Shadowclan's camp had always been hard to find, and even harder to infiltrate. Littlestep had been to their camp countless of times over his many moons of being a medicine cat, and had never grown fond of the rival clan's difficult terrain.

"I visit their cave each half moon to meet with the other medicine cats and travel to glowstar cave." All eyes turned to Littlestep. "Their camp only has one entrance, other than the glowstar tunnel. And it's set up high on a cliff. It's a tiring climb."

"We would be better off bringing them to us." Blackleaf piped in again.

"Except then they would have the advantage since they know their own territory." Stonejaw meowed.

Halfbreeze lashed her tail. "We're planning a battle that we can't win. The clan just barely regained its strength from Leafbare, if you all haven't forgotten."

"It's not our decision." Littlestep cut in. "I think we would all agree that this battle is a foolish one."

"Then let's tell Snakestar that. He has to listen to reason." Halfbreeze rose to her paws, her tail still thrashing behind her. "I won't let him drag my kits into a losing battle.

The other warriors rose to their paws as well. "He's my brother, and I know he has some sense left in that head. If he hears it from all of us, we just might be able to convince him that this isn't a good idea." Jaggedtuft meowed to the group.

Stonejaw stepped back, looking between Blackleaf and Littlestep. "I believe all of us going would be too many cats all at once. Blackleaf, Littlestep and I should concentrate on training our apprentices. If Snakestar cannot be swayed, the three of them will need as much preparation as possible."

* * *

 **Minnowpaw**

In the Thunderclan camp's clearing, many cats were bustling around the dens, making improvements. Flakepaw and Mistypaw were tousling just inside the camp's entrance, and Minnowpaw spotted the senior warriors sitting in a tight group arguing. Avoiding the older cats, Minnowpaw sprinted towards her littermates, bowling Flakepaw over.

"Minnowpaw, come on!" The young tom got back to his paws, shaking out his fur. He glanced quickly around the clearing before turning back toward his sister. "We aren't kits anymore."

Mistypaw giggled and shouldered her brother playfully. "You're just embarrassed cause little Minnowpaw got the best of you."

"I'm not was playing dirty. If I had known she was going to barge in I would have reacted differently." The young tom fluffed out his dark-gray fur, lifting his tail indifferently.

"Toms are so prideful." Mistypaw remarked.

"Warriors in general are prideful." Minnowpaw meowed, glancing toward the group of senior warriors, who were now in a heated argument. Turning back to her littermates, Minnowpaw sat and wrapped her tail over her paws. "Do either of you know what's going on? I know there's something, but Littlestep won't tell me."

The young medicine cat apprentice got a pair or quizzical looks. "What do you mean?" Mistypaw flashed Flakepaw a questioning look as well. "Blackleaf and Stonejaw were going to teach us some basic battle moves today…" The young gray she-cat trailed off.

"No, that can't be it. There has to be something bigger." Minnowpaw looked once again towards the now hushed senior warriors. "They're arguing about something. And whatever it is makes Littlestep nervous."

Flakepaw shrugged and flicked his sister with his tail. "Littlestep's always worrying. He's a medicine cat. That's his job. Besides, whatever it is they're talking about isn't our problem. We're just apprentices. Our job is to learn. Right?"

Minnowpaw shrugged. She knew her brother was right about some things, but an uneasy feeling was growing in her stomach. "Well, whatever it is, I still have a job to." With a wave of her tail, she trotted away from the other apprentices, making a bee line for the old elders' den.

The thick-walled shelter had been unused for moons. Thunderclan's last elder had died when Minnowpaw was only 2 moons, and many of the older warriors were too stubborn to retire. Inside was stuffy and full of dust. The walls were thick, and Minnowpaw couldn't feel the slightest breeze, despite the den not having been maintained regularly. As Littlestep had advised, cobwebs were in every nook and crevice. With a single swipe, Minnowpaw was able to coat an entire paw in thin white tendrils. It didn't take long before she has a plentiful collection that enveloped her whole forearm. With a nod, she limped her way out of the den, careful not to drag any of the cobweb on the ground.

The nursery was situated directly across from the elders' den, and Minnowpaw could hear the meows of kits from where she was. She quickly made her way to the nursery, causing a few surprised squeezes when she popped her head in.

"Hi there, Minnowpaw." A warm meow greeted the young apprentice. "Did you come to give me a break? These two are pawfulls."

Minnowpaw purred as she made her way into the nursery, touching noses with both little kits. "I was actually hoping I could practice my bandaging on you?" She held up her cobweb-covered paw. "Littlestep also wanted me to check them for any sniffling."

"Sniffling?" A flash of worry crossed Willowfall's face, "I haven't noticed any sniffling. They've been extremely healthy kits."

"Oh, good." Minnowpaw meowed as she began unwrapping her paw. "He's been cautious ever since I first became sick with whitecough when I was a kit. Better safe than sorry!"

"Your mother comes to visit every day, you know. I think she misses being in here, surrounded by you and your littermates." One of the kits, a little orange she-cat, stumbled to her mother's side, snuggling into Willowfall's warm belly fur. "I picked out names for them. This is Blazekit." Willowfall meowed, gently tucking the little kit closer to her. She held out an orange-cream colored paw.

"That's a good name. It sounds strong." Minnowpaw meowed through a mouthful of cobwebs as she set to work wrapping Willowfall's paw.

"That little one is Maplekit." Willowfall meowed, flicking her tail towards the other she-kit. Maplekit was smaller than her sister, and her fur was a shade of brown that was exactly like her father's. "She looks just like Spiderflight. Just without his long legs."

Minnowkit purred in amusement, tying off the last of the spider web wrapping. Stepping back, she admired her handiwork. Willowfall's paw was wrapped in a thick white layer, but Minnowpaw knew she needed more practice. Littlestep's bandages always looked much more uniform and sturdy. With a focused determination, Minnowpaw unwrapped and rewrapped Willowfall's paw for much of the afternoon. She took breaks here and there to play with the kits, but after a countless amount of tries, she finally got a bandage that was usable.

"This one doesn't seem that bad." Willowfall held up her paw. "It's tight, but not too tight, and it doesn't seem to be falling off immediately."

Minnowpaw beemed at the queen's compliment. "It looks a lot better than all the other times, doesn't it?" She reached forward and removed the cobweb bandaging. By now, the cobwebs were falling apart and barely stuck together. Rolling them together in a frayed ball, Minnowpaw blinked gratefully at the queen. "Thanks for helping me practice. I should go report back to Littlestep. I'm sure he has other things for me to do today." With a wave of her tail, Minnowpaw picked up her cobwebs and quietly left the nursery.

The clearing was not nearly as busy as it had been that morning, as most cats were out hunting or training. Minnowpaw spotted Littlestep across camp, just outside the medicine den. He had pulled out all of the herb packs that he had been making the previous day, and now had them lined up at his paws. Minnowpaw counted more than what they had that morning.

"Why do you keep making herb packs?" She dropped her used cobwebs in the small pile of old leaves Littlestep had discarded that morning. "Is someone going on a journey?"

Littlestep obviously hadn't heard her approach, as he jumped slightly at her question. "No, these aren't traveling herbs. How did bandaging go? Do the kits still seem healthy?"

Minnowpaw nodded. "Yeah, and Willowfall picked out names!"

"That's great." Littlestep turned towards her with interest. "I'll have to visit her later. What did she name them?"

"The little orange she-kit with white paws is Blazekit, and the Spiderflight look alike is Maplekit." Minnowpaw sniffed at one of the herb packs. "I think those names are perfect."

Littlestep nodded in agreement. "Well, grab an herb pack. You're going to practice on-site treatment."

"On-site treatment?" Minnowpaw rolled an herb pack closer to her. "What's that?"

"You'll find out. Now, let's go before their training is over." Littlestep turned and trotted off, leaving Minnowpaw to quickly grab her herb pack and race after him as he led her out of camp. She found it hard to keep up with such a large bundle of herbs in her mouth, but Littlestep didn't set such a quick pace, so she never lost sight of her mentor. Following one of the main paths, they quickly came up to the sandy banks of the river that separated Riverclan from Thunderclan.

Minnowpaw had only been to sandy shores a paw-full of times, and each time was to look for herbs. The splashing of the river as it washed along the sand had an almost calming effect on the young apprentice, and she almost missed the sounds of other cats up ahead. As she followed her mentor, they padded behind a large boulder that hid a small hollow from the view of Riverclan territory. Excitement prickled at her paws as she saw Mistypaw and Flakepaw wrestling together in the sand, Stonejaw and Blackleaf watching from a few tail-lengths away.

Littlestep padded up beside the two warriors, and beckoned Minnowpaw to join him. Mistypaw and Flakepaw tumbled apart, and turned to their mentors. "Good. You both seem to have quite a fair amount of stamina." Stonejaw complemented.

Minnowpaw dropped her herbs beside Littlestep, looking up at him. Why did he bring me here? I'm a medicine cat apprentice, not a warrior apprentice. She thought to herself. As much fun as it seemed that her siblings were having, Minnowpaw had decided long ago where she wanted her paw-steps to lead.

Flakepaw fixed her with a curious gaze before turning his head to Stonejaw. "Is Minnowpaw going to learn how to fight too?" He asked, voicing Minnowpaw's exact question.

Littlestep shook his head before the other warriors had a chance to answer. "She's here to practice in her own way." The small medicine cat padded forward to Flakepaw. "Alright. Flakepaw here has suffered a bite to his forearm, deep scratches to his belly and a torn ear." He turned a deep green gaze towards Minnowpaw.

Mistypaw looked at her brother with concern and confusion. "What? No he didn't. I kept my claws sheathed the whole time."

"It's just practice, Mistypaw." Blackleaf approached his apprentice, resting his tail on her shoulder to calm her. "Let's go to the other side of the hollow. We can keep practicing for now."

Minnowpaw watched as her sister and Blackleaf left the group, and turned her attention back to Flakepaw. "A bite to the forearm, scratched belly and a torn ear… She hooked a claw into the herb pack she had been carrying, ripping it open to reveal all the herbs it contained. "Uh…" She looked up to Littlestep. "Where do I start?"

Littlestep padded back to her, leaving Flakepaw to sit by himself. "What is the most critical?" He asked.

"Well, the ear should be seen quickly, especially if it's bleeding a lot. We don't want him to loose his hearing, right?"

"You're right, but the belly wounds could cause much more of a problem if they don't get treated right away. Especially if they're deep." Littlestep explained.

"Okay. So, maybe we could start with… Oh! Cobwebs to stop the bleeding, and a poultice of marigold to stop infection." Minnowpaw rooted through the pile of herbs before her until she found the bright orange petals of dandelions.

"Very good. Dandelion will also help to stop the bleeding. You only want to use it on deep cuts, as we can only carry so much of it in our herb packs." Littlestep explained as he pushed forward a different plant. It was green with multiple small leaves. "We can use horsetail if we run out."

Minnowpaw nodded and licked up a few leaves of marigold, chewing it into a paste. After several chews, she spit the mashed leaves and juice onto her paw. "Do you want me to actually put it on Flakepaw?" She asked.

Littlestep nodded. "Of course. This is training, after all. You need to know how to apply the poultice as well."

Flakepaw groaned. "Do you have to? I'm going to end up smelling like herbs all day!" The dark-gray tom complained.

"You won't be complaining when you really do need Minnowpaw to treat your wounds after a battle." Stonejaw meowed, his white whiskers twitching in amusement.

"That's right." Littlestep meowed. "Now lay down so she can practice on you."

With a groan, Flakepaw flopped over on his side, dramatically writhing in the sand as if her were in pain. "Ouch, Minnowpaw, hurry! I think I might die!"

Minnowpaw rushed to her brother's side. With one paw she held him steady, while with the other, she smeared the poultice into his dark-gray underbelly fur. He squirmed as she worked, but she held him firm. Once all of the poultice had been used up, she let him go. "There! Belly wounds treated, and now you smell just like a medicine cat!"

Littlestep padded up behind her. "The poultice was good, but you forgot to stop the bleeding with cobweb." He pointed out bluntly. "Now, your patient is still bleeding, and the marigold didn't stay in place."

"That was just practice though." Minnowpaw's spirits fell. Littlestep had never been one to pass out compliments easily, but Minnowpaw hated disappointing him.

"Practicing the wrong way will only make you perform these skills wrong when you really need to use them."

Stonejaw padded forward to Minnowpaw's side. "That is a lesson you would learn as a warrior apprentice as well. If you don't practice battle moves the correct way, then you will forget the right way when the battle is upon you."

The large warrior's meow ruffled Minnowpaw's fur and she looked down at Flakepaw who gave her a sympathetic look. "The ear is next, right?" She turned from the three toms and went back to her herb pack, retrieving the horsetail that Littlestep has pointed out to her earlier. She chewed it into a paste as she darted back to her brother, a wad of cobwebs on her paw.

Littlestep and Stonejaw watched as the young apprentice worked, dabbing and wrapping her brother's theoretically torn ear, only to spit out the chewed horsetail directly onto his ear. She took he last clump of cobweb and pressed it against the horsetail until it clung to his fur and stayed in place. With a satisfied nod, she stepped back to let Littlestep inspect her work.

"Good. The wound has plenty of poultice, but the cobweb won't stay in place like that." Littlestep fixed his apprentice with a grin. "But good. You learn quickly. Keep practicing. You still need to dress the wound on his leg."

* * *

 **Littlestep**

Littlestep supervised Minnowpaw's bandaging and treatment on both Flakepaw and Mistypaw for the majority of the afternoon. By the time they were done, all three apprentices were exhausted. Littlestep helped Minnowpaw gather up the remaining herbs as Stonejaw and Blackleaf led their apprentices back to camp.

"You did well, Minnowpaw. You're persistent. That alone will help you save many cats." He tucked the last leaf into place so Minnowpaw could carry it without difficulty. "A passive medicine cat is the worst thing for a clan."

The two quietly made their way back through the forest, going much slower than before. Littlestep could tell Minnowpaw was tired, and he also had a strong feeling of dread about returning back. He was not excited to see what Snakestar had planned for the coming night. The forest was alive with life, providing a slight comfort to the nagging anxiety that rippled through the small gray and white tom's fur.

As soon as they reached the camp, Litlestep sent Minnowpaw to return the herbs to their correct spot and he joined up with Bluetoes who was sitting just under high ledge. The clan deputy acknowledged him with a grim look. The clan seemed quiet, as if the other cats knew something was wrong. Stonejaw and Jaggedtuft sat together across the clearing, watching the leader's den intently, waiting for any sign of Snakestar. Willowfall and Spiderflight sat together sharing tongues in silence, and even the younger warriors were sitting still… waiting.

"Any news?" Littlestep sat beside Bluetoes, eyeing the the dark entrance to Snakestar's den. "How did he respond when you all spoke with him this morning?"

Bluetoes merely shook his head. "He's set in his idea that we have to attack now. He wouldn't listen to reason. He almost clawed Jaggedtuft when he mentioned how the clan just got over a harsh Leafbare."

That was the last thing Littlestep wanted to hear. He had known Thunderclan's leader had been slowly slipping, but now Snakestar was out of control. No cat wanted to go into battle, but as warriors of Thunderclan, it was their duty to follow and protect their leader.

As he sat with Bluetoes, slowly more and more cats sat outside their dens, all waiting for the inevitable news that Snakestar held in his paws. The sun began to slide farther and farther toward the tree line, until the camp was full of dusk shadows. Littlestep heard an owl far off in the distance, most likely just stirring from it's perch to hunt for the night.

As the last ray of sunlight was hidden by the treetops, movement from the top of high ledge caught Littlestep's attention. Snakestar strode from his den, the leader's fur matted and full of dust. With a piercing yellow gaze, he scanned the clearing. Littlestep couldn't hhelp the ominous prickle her felt in his paws as Snakestar stared at his clan with hostility. It was as if he saw his own clanmates as the enemy. With a single jump, Snakestar was at the top of highledge, his claws scraping against the stone to keep balance.

"As you all know," Snakestar began, "Shadowclan has been getting too friendly with our border." The Thunderclan warriors began to gather closer to hear each of their leader's words. "So, with much thought and deliberation, I have decided that we will put an end to the long-standing border dispute tonight. We will take the fight to them, and we will prove that Thunderclan will always hold it's own in any circumstance."

"This is the first problem with Shadowclan that I have heard of this season." Speckledstep rose to her paws, her spotted yellow fur rippling under her powerful shoulders. "I don't see why such a risky approach is necessary. If there must be a fight, it should be on equal-"

"It doesn't matter for you, anyway Specckledstep." Snakestar cut the senior warrior off with a sharp retort. "You'll be staying here. As well as any cat who disagrees with me."

Littlestep eyes widened as he heard nervous meows passed between the rest of the clan. As Snakestar ounded down from highledge, a few warriors stood eagerly to join him. The black pelt of Blackleaf and the dark brown fur of Leopardspring at the head of the pack. Most of the senior warriors hesitated, unsure of what to do.

"Snakestar, should we make battle plans now?" Bluetoes trotted forward to keep pace with the leader as Snakestar headed for the camp exit.

Snakestar reeled around to snap his jaws at the deputy. "You and your disloyal friends are staying here." With a gaze like fire, he challenged the broad shouldered deputy. "I already have battle plans, and they definitely don't include you."

Bluetoes hung back as Snakestar turned away once again to leave camp. Littlestep frantically waved Minnowpaw to his aid as he gathered the herb packs, carrying two at a time. The little apprentice had trouble carrying her packs, but together they were able to rejoin the group just as Snakestar reached the entrance tunnel.

"Blackleaf, Leopardspring, Darkdapple, Creamfur, Littlestep, Spiderflight and Sandfur! You four are coming with me." Snakestar yowled the crowd of cats. "Oh, and the apprentices!"

"You aren't taking my kits to a battle! They've been apprentices for only three days!" Halfbreeze rushed forward, stepping in front of Mistypaw and Flakepaw, who had been sitting together near the fresh kill pile.

Snakestar scowled. "Fine, if you want to protect them so much, you can always leave. Thunderclan has no use for sniffling kits that can't defend themselves."

Through the mass of clan cats, Littlestep could see Halfbreeze unsheathe her claws, only to be approached by Blackleaf. "I'll keep them safe." He meowed. "They won't be in harms way. They can just be there to help out Littlestep. He'll need all the paws he can."

Mistypaw and Flakepaw looked at their mother eagerly, both obviously wanting to go. Halfbreeze sighed and licked them both behind their ears and nodded to Blackleaf. "You had better keep your promise."

Littlestep glanced down to Minnowpaw, who stood beside him, her eyes determined and glittering with excitement. He would keep them safe. As medicine cat, and as their kin, he would see to it.

Littlestep almost dropped his herbs as Russetsky barged past him. "What about me?" He asked, approaching Snakestar "I'm ready for a battle, and you have plenty of other cats to protect the camp. You'll need me."

Snakestar hissed. "I will never need a worthless cat who isn't confident enough to take on an apprentice. Stay here with the kits where you belong." The clan leader surveyed the rather small patrol that was gathered around him. "Now, let's go. We have a long way."

Littlestep and Minnowpaw were at the back of the patrol and the last to leave the camp. Littlestep could see the fluffy pelts of Mistypaw and Flakepaw up ahead, and despite the rush of adrenaline he felt, he could practically scent the anxiety that poured off of him. Just as theyducked out of the camp entrance, Littlestep nearly bowled over his Spiderflight.

The long-legged tom was hunched over his forepaw, licking at a freshly torn pad. The skin on the bottom of his paw was peeled back, revealing red and pink bubbling flesh underneath. Littlestep dropped his herbs and sniffed at his brother's injury, the rest of the patrol disappearing into the undergrowth.

"What did you do?" Littlestep asked and he pulled a wad of cobwebs from one of his packs, careful as to not rip the rest of it open.

Spiderflight just shook his head. "Nothing. I was just folling the patrol, when I felt a sting on my paw. Next thing I know, it's just bleeding like crazy."

As Littlestep dressed the rather deep cut, he saw Minnowpaw duck back into the entrance, returning with a chunk of gnarled old bark. Once he was sure the bleeding had stopped, Littlestep withdrew from Spiderflight, turning his attention to what Minnowpaw had found.

"This was in the tunnel. About half-way in." The little she-cat reported.

Littlestep narrowed his eyes. The chunk of bark was old and full of holes, and was beginning to turn black with age. The Thunderclan medicine cat had seen bark similar to this before. It came from specific types of pine trees, but there was no such tree anywhere on Thunderclan territory. As he sniffed the bark, he got the unmistakable scent of mountain. A crippling feeling of unease washed over Littlestep as he realized the bark had come from deep within Shadowclan's territory. As he surveyed Spiderflight's wound once more, Littlestep was amazed by the amount of blood such an old, mangled piece of bark had spilt.

* * *

 **Sorry it's been so long! My summer has been crazy, but I'm super excited to post the next chapter! This one is from Littlestep and Minnowpaw's point of view. Minnowpaw has a lot of growing to do, and she actually has quite an interesting story that will be coming much farther down the line! She is definitely a character that I want to develop a lot more throughout this story, as she is smack in the middle of so many different interesting plot points!**

 **I am always interested to hear which character everyone likes, so be sure to let me know! Ashflight definitely seemed to be well-liked, so she will be making several appearances in the next chapter, but I have yet to pick who's point of view I will be using for the battle. Do you have a preference? Let me know!**

 **My favorite part of this chapter to write was actually the opening scene. I love exploring the relationships that develop between cats, and I think the mentor/apprentice bond is a great way to really get to know a character. In those kinds of close-knit scenes you're really able to see how fond the two are of each other, which I find to be an important link between any teacher and their student. My other favorite parts to write out are the hostility that Waspstar shows his clanmates. He is definitely a wicked fellow, but he will be getting a little more light in an upcoming chapter as well. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 5 The Battle - MistypawDarkpaw

**Mistypaw**

Crisp night air stung her eyes as Mistypaw sprinted to keep up with the group of warriors as they made their way to Thunderclan's border with Shadowclan. The young gray and white apprentice had not been to this section of Thunderclan's territory, and her paws were already screaming at her to slow down. However, Snakestar kept a wicked pace for the group, only a few of the more agile warriors keeping up with him. Mistypaw was comforted by an ever-present Blackleaf, who kept pace with her, giving encouraging words each time she grew tired.

They had been running for what seemed like a moon, before the patrol slowed suddenly, and if it hadn't been for Blackleaf stepping in front of her, Mistypaw would have walked right over the ledge of the gorge. A stretching expanse of black abyss came out of nowhere, and despite how much she squinted, Mistypaw couldn't see the bottom.

"Don't get too close." Blackleaf warned from beside her. "The ground isn't always stable here." To prove his point, the black warrior pushed on a loose patch of earth, causing it to crumble away into the nothingness underneath.

"Blackleaf!" A harsh meow echoed over the gorge. Snakestar had led them farther up to an area where the gap between the two territories was slightly smaller. Mistypaw estimated about three warrior tail lengths.

As the pair rejoined the group, most of the other cats were huffing as they caught their breath. Snakestar however was focused on his son. "Blackleaf, you first. Leap across and help your apprentice over." His words drew a few alarmed looks from some of the other cats.

"We're jumping across?" Sandfur stepped forward, until she was nose to nose with Snakestar. "We have some very young apprentices with us. It would be safer to continue on and cross at an easier area." The she-cat got many approving nods from the others.

"She's right." Littlestep had also caught up to the group, and Mistypaw could see Minnowpaw behind him, taking deep breaths around her bundles of herbs. "And what about my herbs? I'll be of little use in battle without them."

Snakestar grumbled. "You'll be of little use with them too." He grumbled at the medicine cat. "We're crossing here." He turned to the patrol, aiming his words pointedly at Sandfur and Littlestep. "If you are too mousehearted to jump, then return to camp. Or better yet, go find somewhere else to call home. I have no use for cowards." With a hiss, he turned and with a great leap, soared over the gorge, landing with a thud on the other side, his back legs hanging from the cliff face. He scrambled briefly before finding all four paws on solid ground. "Now everyone else hurry up!"

Mistypaw's chest tightened in fear as Blackleaf nosed her forward. "You'll be fine. Just don't think about it."

"Why do we have to go first?" Mistypaw couldn't help the shiver of fear that ran down her spine. Snakestar barely made that jump! I'm way smaller than him!

"To relieve the others' anxiety." Blackleaf came up beside her, pressing his black fur into her side. "Look at Minnowpaw. She's terrified. Show her you can do it, and it will give her confidence."

Mistypaw glanced over her shoulder to see a shivering Minnowpaw being comforted by her mentor. Minnowpaw had always been the weaker of the three littermates, and Mistypaw couldn't help the feeling of dread that seeped through her paws.

"Besides," Blackleaf continued, "I'll be on the other side. I'll catch you if you come up short. You'll be fine." With a flick of his tail, Blacktail left his apprentice's side, creeping closer to the edge of the gorge before crouching and leaping across. He landed neatly on all four paws with half a tail-length to spare. He turned to face the group again and beckoned for Mistypaw with his tail.

"This is ridiculous." Sandfur hissed as she strode up beside Mistypaw. "I know you're afraid. I'll jump with you. Are you ready?" The older she-cat gave Mistypaw a knowing glance as the two edged closer to the cliff face.

Mistypaw nodded, relieved to have another cat beside her. With delicate placement of her paws, she inched as close as she dared to the edge before bunching all of her weight into her hind legs. Together with Sandfur, the small gray apprentice exploded from where she crouched, closing her eyes as she trusted in her paws. Time seemed to stand still as she hung in the air above the gorge, the cold night's air whistling past her fur. Without warning, her paws met with hard ground making her tumble forward as her center of gravity was thrown off balance. As she opened her eyes, safely on the other side of the gorge, Mistypaw couldn't have been more relieved to feel solid earth beneath her.

A large black paw scuffed her over an ear, and Mistypaw turned to her mentor. "I knew you could do it. I wouldn't have taken you as an apprentice if I didn't believe in you." Blackleaf purred as he wrapped his tail around her. "You didn't even need my help. The other warriors should be ashamed if they let an apprentice show them up."

Mistypaw relaxed into her mentor for support, feeling the strength drain from her legs as adrenaline left her body. It didn't take long for the other cats to make their way across, until only Minnowpaw and Littlestep were left. A few of the warriors had brought the herb packs over when they made their leap, leaving Minnowpaw able to jump without the extra weight dragging her down. Flakepaw was on the Shadowclan side shouting words of encouragement to his sister and Mistypaw left Blackleaf's side to do the same.

Minnowpaw seemed so small when compared to the distance she had to jump. "You can do it Minnowpaw! Don't look down and jump as far as you can!" Mistypaw called to her. Littlestep waited patiently on the other side as his apprentice got ready. As the pair leapt the distance, Mistypaw's heart dropped as she realized that Minnowpaw was going to fall short. A rush of golden fur flashed past Mistypaw, as her sister's form disappeared from view. Just as Littlestep landed with a thud, Leopardspring dove forward, until he hung into the gorge, his rear legs planted firmly on the edge.

"Minnowpaw!" Mistypaw rushed forward, relief flooding through her as she saw her sister dangling helplessly by her scruff in Leoparspring's jaws. With a huge amount of effort, the young warrior had Minnowpaw hauled to safety, leaving her gasping for breath on the ground.

Littlestep rushed forward, helping his apprentice up and shooting a glare in Snakestar's direction. "Your recklessness almost got my apprentice killed!"

Snakestar waved the comment off with his tail. "Her weakness almost got her killed. I would have let her fall. One less weakling amongst our ranks." With a lash of his tail, the clan leader turned from the group and trotted off into Shadowclan territory. "Let's go! We've wasted enough time!"

 **Darkpaw**

"Ya gotta be kidding me, you were training in the stone hollow?" Ivypaw blurted out, interrupting Darkpaw's story. "No fair. Sharpnose only lets me train there on special occasions. He hasn't even taught me any good attacking moves yet."

"Probably for good reason." Darkpaw purred in amusement at her sister's dismay. "Ashflight always says that a good defense is the best offense."

"You're so lucky. I would trade mentors in a heartbeat."

"Ivypaw, don't be so loud!" Darkpaw meowed in a harsh whisper. "Everyone knows Sharpnose has some of the best senses of all Shadowclan. That would really hurt his feeling if he heard you say that. Besides, Ashflight always has really good things to say about him."

"Yeah, I know." Ivypaw groaned in frustration. "I just hate the thought of you leaving me behind. Ya seem so much closer to becoming a real warrior than I do."

"What? No, I don't." Darkpaw fiddled with a rock under paw. "If anything, Shadepaw is the one who always acts so confident. Nothing phases him! He's always so calm."

"Except for a few days ago when he got busted for stealing that mouse from Thunderclan's territory." Ivypaw scoffed. "He got so embarrassed while Mouseleap was scolding him! I bet he'll regret that for a while."

"Don't joke about that, Ivypaw." Darkpaw meowed seriously. "Ashflight said that Lionfrost could have really started a huge problem between us and Thunderclan."

"Uggh, Darkpaw you're getting boring, ya know? All you ever say these days are 'Ashflight this' and Ashflight that',"

"Well, I'm sorry for listening to my mentor?" Darkpaw frowned down at her paws. She wasn't used to arguing with her sister.

"Nah, don't be sorry. I'm just messing with ya." Ivypaw leaned over and licked Darkpaw playfully over an ear. "Anyways, I gotta get going. I think they're waiting for me." Ivypaw gestured over to a group of cats near the front of the cave.

"Have a good patrol!" Darkpaw meowed as Ivypaw got up from where the sisters had been sharing tongues. Night hunting had become a common occurrence in Shadowclan, as the fresh kill pile more frequently remained empty, despite new leaf's usual promise of more prey.

"Eh, it'll probably just be another patrol of listening to Sharpnose's random stories." The sisters touched noses. "I swear, I think I've hear all of his stories at least twice by now. Anyways, we're hunting near the Windclan border, so I'll bring ya back a nice juicy rabbit!" With a cheery wave of her tail, Ivypaw turned from her littermate and joined the cluster of cats that sat beside the cave entrance.

With a yawn Darkpaw glanced around camp. Mudtail and Ashflight were sharing tongues near the elder's den, Darkflower stood watch over the clan for the night and Stalkwind stood guard over the glowstar tunnels. The cave was quiet, as most other cats had already gone to their dens for the night. Darkpaw could hear faint snoring coming from Barktuft in the elders den, and even the kits were all silent. With a long stretch, the russet colored she-cat turned toward the apprentice's den. A long day of battle practice had made her muscles ache.

Shadepaw was already curled in his nest, and Darkpaw turned a few times in her own before settling beside him. The gentle rise and fall of his breathing comforted her as she found her own breaths slowing and her mind starting to drift. Just as sleep was about to claim her, a yowl echoed through the cave. Instant panic shot through her as Darkpaw jumped to her paws, Shadepaw stirring slowly beside her.

"Darkpaw? What's going on?" Shadepaw murmured as the young tom slowly rose to his paws.

"Thunderclan is invading!" The urgent yowl of Darkflower banished any thoughts of sleep from the apprentices' minds. Outside the den, Darkpaw could hear many more cats, and the unmistakable smell of Thunderclan began to fill the camp. Without a second thought, she darted from the den, only to be greeted by a large black warrior.

 **Mistypaw**

The climb up to the Shadowclan camp had been steep. With her muscles already throbbing from trekking through unfamiliar swamp and forest, Mistypaw felt as though she would collapse at any moment. A look at her siblings told her that both Minnowpaw and Flakepaw felt the same. The three apprentices had stayed back with Littlestep, where they made a makeshift treatment area for any warriors that might suffer an injury. They were settled only a few tail lengths from Shadowclan's cave entrance, and Mistypaw could hear a cacophony of yowls and fighting cats coming from inside.

"Here, eat this." Mistypaw looked down at Minnowpaw's small paw holding out a few small bright green leaves. "It's burnet. It will give us strength."

Mistypaw nodded gratefully before lapping up a few leaves. The taste was bitter, but went down easily. Both Flakepaw and Minnowpaw ate their own, and Minnowpaw began sorting out the herbs from the packs they had been carrying.

"Need any help?" Mistypaw offered, eager to put her paws to work.

"Can you open that pack there?" Littlestep instructed. "Minnowpaw and I will be dressing wounds when the time comes. I want you two to be able to pass us what we need and chew up poultices." The medicine cat fixed her with a solid green stare. "Can you do that?"

Mistypaw glanced at Flakepaw for reassurance before nodding to Littlestep. "Of course we can." She turned toward the pack and got busy sorting herbs, using what little she knew. "Cobweb… Oh, those are poppy seeds. Um, I think this is marigold?"

"Actually, that's horsetail." Minnowpaw stepped closer to Minstypaw. "I have my pack sorted over there. So we can use that for now. You'll start to remember the names of the different leaves very quickly."

"Thanks, Minnowpaw." Anxiety bit at Mistypaw's pelt as the sounds of combat echo out of the grand cave that Shadowclan called home. She took a few steps forward until she could peer inside. She had never seen the inside of the cave before, and it was alive with writhing cats, all fighting with teeth and claws unsheathed.

Blood splattered the ground just inside Shadowclan's cave, where Creamfur was clawing deep cuts into the underbelly of an older, dark brown she-cat. Mistypaw's eyes widened at the look of anger and pain in the enemy cat's eyes, as she yowled in pain. Looking around, Mistypaw could pick out the other warriors that had made up Thunderclan's patrol. Blackleaf seemed to be easily fighting off a dark gray she-cat and two younger apprentices. Leopardpring seemed to be outmatched against what appeared to be an elder and a younger tan she-cat. Darkdapple and Sandfur were fighting back to back, barely keeping three other warriors at bay, and in the center of camp Snakestar wrestled with a large, scar-covered tom.

"We're losing." As Mistypaw watched her clanmates grow slower and slower with each attack, a large figure stepped out from a crevice in the cave wall, just a few tail lengths from the cave entrance. In a matter of seconds, a heavily scarred, light-brown tabby stood over her. With teeth bared, the tom swing a massive paw in her direction, only for a rough yank to send Mistypaw rolling backwards.

"Rainheart, I'm sorry for the intrusion, but please leave these apprentices out of it." Littlestep stepped forward, blocking Mistypaw from view of the thick furred cat.

"It's too late for that, Littlestep." Rainheart sneered with a scowl. "I may be a medicine cat, but my warrior roots are as strong as ever. Don't think you can take me in a fight."

Mistypaw could see Littlestep stiffen in front of her, however the medicine cat's eyes weren't focused on the enemy in front of him, but on a dark brown tabby pelt that slunk into the pool in the middle of the cave, blood staining the water around it. Much of the fighting ceased as the cats' attention was drawn to the scene.

"Peakstar!" A panicked yowl sounded from behind Mistypaw, and as the young apprentice turned, her heart sank as five more Shadowclan cats pushed past to join the brawl.

"Mistypaw!" Littlestep called behind him. "Hurry. Run back to camp and fetch the others. We're fighting a losing battle, and I'm afraid Snakestar doesn't see that."

 **Darkpaw**

Darkpaw's eyes widened as the fighting seemed to stop. The large black tom she had been fighting with the aid of Shadepaw and Ashflight stepped away from them as all four cats watched the slumping figure of Shadowclan's leader. Darkpaw couldn't tear her gaze from his limp figure in the water, even as Mouseleap returned, with the night hunting party on her tail.

The fight overall seemed to be in Shadowclan's favor, but Darkpaw could tell that Peakstar losing a life had shaken all of her clanmates' resolve. With a brief look in Ashflight's direction, she could tell that her mentor was tiring. Ashflight's thick gray fur was already matted with blood in several areas where she had taken a blow, and the warrior they had been fighting didn't even seem winded.

Looking back to the scene in the middle of the cave, Darkpaw watched as Snakestar stood over Peakstar, bloody drool dripping from his mouth. The tom's eyes were wide with a wicked sense of joy, and as the cave grew quiet, he turned sharply to snap at his closest warrior.

"What are you doing?" With a lashing tail, Snakestar looked around at all of the cats watching him. "WHO told you to stop? Kill them! Kill them all!"

Almost at once, Darkpaw felt the air rush out of her as the large black warrior rammed his head into her side, sending her sprawling. Before he could descend upon her again, Ashflight barreled into him, her blue eyes alive with anger, Shadepaw on her heels. Darkpaw pushed herself up slowly, feeling her sides scream at her as she tried to regain her breath. For a moment, her vision became blurry as she fought to stand, and her paws seemed to feel as though they had turned to stone.

"Stop it! Stop!" A panicked yowl brought Darkpaw's attention snapping back to the fight before her as Shadepaw desperately clawed at the massive warrior's shoulder. Darkpaw's eye widened in horror as she saw a bloodied Ashflight hanging limp in the enemy's grip. The black Thunderclan warrior held Ashflight's throat in his jaws, his eyes dancing with exhileration.

Darkpaw leapt forward in horror. "Ashflight, no!" Before the young apprentice could reach her mentor, a pale yellow pelt slammed into the black warrior from behind, making him drop Ashflight to the ground. Darkpaw lunged forward, gripping her mentor's scruff between her teeth and dragging her back, away from the Thunderclan cat. Ashflight groaned quietly as she tried to get her paws underneath her, but Darkpaw could see thick blood oozing from a wound in the she-cat's belly. Darkpaw looked around frantically, unsure of what to do. Shadepaw crouched beside her, his ears flattened back.

"Put pressure on the wound!" Darkpaw looked toward where Sharpnose was now fighting with the black warrior, his yellow pelt ruffled and his teeth bared as he barked instructions at her. "She needs a medicine cat!"

Shadepaw slunk forward. "I'll take care of her here. You go find Rainheart."

Darkpaw nodded and slid around her brother as she looked around the cave. Most of the Thunderclan cats were in worse shape than her clanmates, but the enemy cats weren't backing down. Were they that stubborn to keep fighting a losing battle? Everywhere Darknpaw looked she saw blood and fighting cats. Almost every one of Thunderclan's warriors were outnumbered, two to one. As she slipped between the individual fights, a looming light brown pelt caught her eye at the entrance to the cave.

"Rainheart! We need help!" Darkpaw raced up to the medicine cat, finding him staring down a small gray and white tom from Thunderclan. The two hadn't begun fighting, but the hostility between the two was clear. "Rainheart!" She called again. "It's Ashflight! She's bleeding a lot. It's serious, you need to help her!"

The medicine cat slowly turned away from the other tom and focused his attention on Darkpaw. She wanted him to hurry and run to Ashflight's aid. What was he waiting for? Darkpaw glanced nervously at the Thunderclan cat, spying two smaller cats behind him. Mostly likely apprentices, and young ones at that.

"Ashflight? Ah, I see her." Rainheart meowed as he scanned the cave. "I have to get some herbs and I'll go treat her." He gave a worried glance in the direction of the fallen Peakstar as well. The clan leader had most certainly lost a life, and was now dragging himself out of the bloodied cave pool. Mousleap was clawing at Snakestar, keeping the wild Thunderclan leader busy. Rainheart turned back to Darkpaw. "Come with me." He meowed as he turned and led her to the mouth of the medicine den. He disappeared for a brief moment and came back with a jaw full of herbs. "Here." The large tabby pushed the herbs toward her. "Chew these up and spit them into the wound. It will slow the bleeding. Then find cobwebs and dress the wound. I need to help Peakstar. I'll come check on her when I'm done."

Darkpaw gathered up the herbs as Rainheart left, making a bee line to the clan leader. I have to treat Ashflight by myself? Apprehension crawled through her pelt as she stumbled backwards, tripping on a dark green leaf. She stuck close to the cave wall as she made her way back to her mentor, avoiding the fighting cats and moving as quickly as her paws would let her.

Sharpnose was still fighting with the large black warrior from earlier, and Shadepaw was still hunched over Ashflight, his paws soaked in the gray warrior's blood. Ivypaw was there too, ducking in and out of the fight with the Thunderclan tom, nipping at his legs or clawing at his broad black shoulders. Darkpaw dropped the herbs next to Ashflight, and moved around to crouch beside her brother.

"Rainheart couldn't come. He went to check on Peakstar." Darkpaw shoved some of the leaves toward Shadepaw. "Chew this. We have to press it into Ashflight's wounds. It's supposed to stop the bleeding."

The two apprentices chewed quickly, forming a goopy ball of herb and saliva in their mouths before spitting it out on their paws. Darkpaw pressed the poultice into Ashflight's side, but despite the constant pressure she applied to the wound, the bleeding only swept away the poultice with no effect. Shadepaw tried the same with no better result.

"This isn't working!" Darkpaw looked up and searched for Rainheart, seeing the warrior-like medicine cat now fighting side by side with Mouseleap as they fought back Snakestar. "What am I supposed to do?!" Grief wrapped it's long talons around Darkpaw's heart at the thought of losing her mentor.

"We have to try something else!" Darkpaw got to her paws and turned around frantically. "Cobwebs! Hurry, Shadepaw, find some cobwebs!"

"We just cleaned out the cave. There won't be any." Shadpaw said calmly as he rested his tail on Darkpaw's back. "There's nothing we can do. We need Rainheart."

"We have to try something!" Darkpaw pressed her paws onto Ashflight's wound. "She's dying! We need to stop the bleeding!" Darkpaw looked up from the blood that had pooled beneath her paws. Sharpnose had his paws full just keeping the other warrior at bay, and there still was no sign that Rainheart was coming any time soon.

As Darkpaw slunk down to the cavern floor, her fur brushed against a soft, fawn-colored pelt. As she looked up, Darkpaw was surprised to see the small apprentice she had seen earlier outside the cave entrance. The small she-cat was clearly an apprentice, and Darkpaw recoiled at her presence. "What are you doing? Get away from Ashflight!"

"I'm Minnowpaw. I'm a medicine cat apprentice. I'll help you."

Darkpaw's eyes widened at the other she-cat's words. "But why? You're Thunderclan. We're Shadowclan." The other apprentices actions were puzzling. As far as Darkpaw was concerned, she had only ever heard stories about how ruthless and uncaring the rival clan was.

"Clans don't matter to medicine cats. We're meant to save lives. And that includes the lives of cats from other clans." Minnowpaw set to work pulling out some leaves from a small pack of herbs she had brought with her. Just as Darkpaw had tried earlier, Minnowpaw also chewed leaves and spat it directly onto the wound, working fast.

"We tried that. It didn't work, there's too much blood." Darkpaw mentioned as she removed her paws from the wound to give the other apprentice more room to work.

"Making poultices is actually quite difficult. Chew it too much and it runs right off the wound. Too thick and it won't spread." As the small she-cat spread her poultice on the wound, it stuck, causing the bleeding to slow. "Just right, and it can help heal any wound."

Darkpaw watched Minnowpaw work. How does this tiny cat know so much about healing? She can be much older than 6 moons and she can already heal this kind of injury? "That's amazing." She murmured as Minnowpaw got the last of the major bleeding to stop.

"She's not out of the woods yet. This is just to stop the bleeding. I'm not very good at wrapping such a large injury, but I'll give it my best attempt." After what seemed like moons, Minnowpaw stepped back to admire her work. "She shouldn't lose any more blood as long as you don't move her from this position. Have your medicine cat treat her when the battle is over."

Darkpaw nodded and fixed the other apprentice with a green stare. "I'm Darkpaw. Thank-"

Yet another yowl echoed through the cave, signaling the arrival of several new Thunderclan cats.

 **Mistypaw**

Mistypaw sprinted through unfamiliar territory, passing strange smelling trees, wading through sticky moss and marshes, and hurtling through bushes full of nettles. However, when she broke through a patch of underbrush, she skidded to a halt just before coming upon the steep drop of the gorge. She swallowed, knowing that she needed to hurry, but taking her time to find the correct area to jump.

After several fox-lengths, she found it. The same place th patrol had jumped earlier. I did it just fine last time. I can do it again. With a deep inhale, the she cat crouched to prepare to jump. She still had quite a ways before she would reach the Thunderclan camp to get the others. There's no time to be scared.

"Mistypaw?" A familiar voice jarred her out of her concentration.

"Halfbreeze?" Mistypaw scented the air. It was her mother! And there were others with her too.

Movement across the gorge drew Mistypaw's attention to where Halfbreeze stepped out from the undergrowth, followed by Stonejaw and Bluetoes. Jaggedtuft and Russetsky were with them as well. Without a word, Halfbreeze leapt nimbly over the distance of the gorge, rushing to her kit's side and wrapping Mistypaw up with her tail.

"What's wrong? Are you injured?"

Mistypaw shook her head. "No, I'm fine. But there's no time! Littlestep sent me to get reinforcements! There's too many of them, we need help!"

"We'll go immediately then." Bluetoes called from the other side.

Halfbreeze nodded before nuzzling her daughter gently. "You cross over to your father, and head back to camp. You've done enough for one night, so go home and curl up in your nest."

Mistypaw backed away. "What? No. I'm coming with you. Flakepaw and Minnow-"

"Will be fine." Halfbreeze reassured. "We'll see to it. Besides, Thunderclan's camp is not very well guarded right now. You know how to get back to Shadowclan's camp. If something happens, Spiderflight and the others are going to need you to be able to come and get us for support."

Mistypaw looked across the gorge to where her father waited for her.

"Go on. We need to get to the Shadowclan camp." Halfbreeze nudged the apprentice towards the gorge. "I'll be able to fight more confidently when I know that you're safe."

Mistypaw nodded and gave her mother one last nuzzle before launching herself across the gorge, somersaulting into her fauther's broad chest as she landed. She shook out her pelt and rose to her paws.

"Do as your mother said." Bluetoes bent down and touched his nose to hers. "We'll be back soon. Go straight back to camp and don't stop."

As the small patrol of reinforcements crossed the gorge and raced on through Shadowclan territory, Mistypaw padded into the familiar scents of Thunderclan, racing for home.

 **Darkpaw**

Yet another yowl echoed through the cave, signaling the arrival of several new Thunderclan cats.

The cave grew loud with a chorus of shrieks and yowls as fresh Thunderclan cats clashed with Shadowclan. Despite Shadowclan's previous advantages, the new arrivals of some of Thunderclan's senior warriors and deputy quickly turned the tide of the battle. The scrawny, underfed Shadowclan cats struggled to keep the thick-bodied, well fed Thunderclan at bay.

"I should go." Minnowpaw gave Darkpaw a quick, worried glance before slipping away and darting across the cave to assist Littlestep in treating some of their clanmates. Darkpaw looked towards where Sharpnose and Ivypaw were fighting the black warrior and a new dark russet colored tom as well.

"Shadepaw, we need to help them. Let's go!" Darkpaw called to her brother behind her as she left Ashflight's side to dive into the battle. Ivypaw and Shadepaw fell in beside her, and the three littermates took on the new russet-colored tom.

"I don't particularly like fighting apprentices." The tom meowed as he narrowed his eyes at the three of them.

Ivypaw shot forward at the tom while he was distracted and clawed him over the nose, causing several droplets of blood to ooze out. "We may be apprentices, but there's three of us, and only one of you. Sounds like a fair fight to me."

With a hiss, the tom shook the blood off of his nose and lunged forward, bringing a razor sharp claw with him. Ivypaw dodged out of range as Darkpaw and Shadepaw took position on either side of him. With a burst of speed, Darkpaw darted in, raking her claws along the enemy's side, causing him to whip around to face her. As he turned, Shadepaw made new claw marks on his other side. Growing frustrated, the warrior kicked out a hind leg, catching Shadepaw in the chest and sending the young tom stumbling backwards.

After several more rounds of darting in, clawing and backing out, Darkpaw could tell that her littermates were growing tired. As Ivypaw had him distracted, Darkpaw remembered the only attacking move that Ashflight had really taught her. Stealthily, the young dark she-cat stalked closer to the tom before leaping up and balancing on his shoulders, griping the skin of his scruff hard between her teeth and digging her claws deep into his shoulders.

The large tom yowled in surprise at the attacker who was now on his back. He whipped around and tried to swipe a paw to knock her off, but Darkpaw held firm. With her back legs, she began clawing deep scratches into his back and hips, feeling blood well up underneath each long draw of her claws.

"Get off!" The tom underneath her yowled, but to no avail. Despite his complaints, she only dug in deeper. It wasn't until Darkpaw heard a warning cry from Ivypaw that looked up to see a heavy black claw swinging at her.

The claw struck home, catching her behind the head and sending her reeling off the enemy's shoulders. She hit the cave floor with a dull thud and felt the warmth of blood seep into the fur behind her ears. She was faintly aware of Sharpnose, now batting heavy paws at the russet tom, and of her littermates scrabbling feebly towards her. However, the sharp pricks of long claws in her side made her alert of the presence of the black tom, hovering over her, digging his claws into her soft belly fur. She glanced past the fighting to where Ashflight still lay, limp and unmoving. The only sign of life being the shallow rise and fall of her chest.

Through the pain, and blurry shapes in her vision, a single ominous sound brought Darkpaw back to full awareness. The mangled, blood-curdling screech of dying cats held the attention of all the cats of both Thunderclan and Shadowclan. For a moment, all fighting ceased as every cat in the cave turned to see Peakstar and Snakestar once again locked together in battle, the two toms each with a death grip on the other. Snakestar with Peakstar's throat in his jaws, and Peakstar with a large claw dug partially into the crook of Snakestar's neck.

As the deputies of both clans rushed in to help their leaders, the fighting began again. However, Darkpaw found that with the distraction, she had been let up from where she had previously been pinned. However, her vision danced, her mind foggy from the previous blow. She could now barely feel the scratches and claw marks that had been stinging her sides before.

As Sharpnose battered back the russet tom, the black warrior tackled him from the side, sending him scrambling to get back to his paws. Darkpaw and her littermates rushed forward to Sharpnose's defense, but were stopped in their tracks by the lone, sorrowful howl of a haunted cat. Reeling around, and searching for the source of the sound, Darkpaw's eyes fell onto the limp body of Barktuft, lying at the paws of a light gold tom. The tom that hunched over the body of Barktuft yowled his sorrow for both clans to hear. His spotted gold fur was soaked in the deceased elder's blood.

As both clans' warriors slowly stopped fighting, the gargled screeches of two cats sounded again, and as Darkpaw looked in horror to the center of the cave, where Peakstar, with an expertly placed blow swiped down hard, slashing through Snakestar's neck, while at the same time, Snakestar crunched down with immense strength, crushing Peakstar's throat in his jaws. Together, both toms crumpled to the ground in pools of their own blood.

 **Littlestep**

"ENOUGH!" The loud command of both Bluetoes and Mouseleap cause each cat to back away from those they were fighting previously. The bodies of Peakstar and Snakestar laid between the deputies, as the cave fell silent.

"There has been enough blood shed for one night." Bluetoes announced with a solumn tone. "Thunderclan, we are retreating."

Littlestep looked over the cats spread out throughout Shadowclan's camp. Both clans had suffered grievous injuries. He turned to Minnowpaw, who was patching up deep cuts in Creamfur's shoulders. Beside her, Flakepaw also worked, chewing up the poultices that Minnowpaw asked for. They work well as a team. He thought to himself as he padded over.

"Good work. That should hold until we get back to camp. Help me triage the rest of the warriors. We need to stop any serious bleeding before we leave, but we're running low on supplies."

As Minnowpaw set to work as instructed, darting around between the Thunderclan warriors, Littlestep approached the small group of cats that had circled around the clan leaders. Both Snakestar and Peakstar still lay limp on the ground.

"As soon as he wakes, get out." Mouseleap snarled at Bluetoes. The small-statured deputy had deep claw marks that parted her fur along her shoulders, but despite the pain she must have been feeling, her hackles were raised as she stared down any Thunderclan cat she could see.

Bluetoes only nodded as her order and turned to Stonejaw, who was just beside him. "Gather our warriors and take them out of the camp. Wait at the bottom of the mountain. I'll bring Snakestar along when he wakes." The deputy's brother nodded and quietly turned to gather the rest of Thunderclan.

Littlestep padded forward, stopping beside Snakestar's mangled body. Looking between both clan leaders he addressed the cats that had gathered. "They will be fine. They'll be waking up soon. Their injuries were deadly, and they've both lost a life."

"Peakstar has lost TWO lives tonight thanks to Thunderclan!" Mouseleap snarled. "And for what? Why did you come here? Over that border dispute? Are you all mousebrained?!"

Littlestep looked to Bluetoes. With Snakestar currently losing a life, the clan deputies had all of the power as clan leaders. At least until the rightful leaders awoke.

"Mouseleap." BLuetoes started quietly. "I never believed this was the correct course of action for our clan."

"Then you should have done something! Look at what happened!" The tan she-cat gestured around the blood stained cave. "Our leader lost two lives, and we lost Barktuft! He was'nt fortunate enough to have any more lives that the singular one he was given!"

Bluetoes flicked his ears. Littlestep could tell his father was in a tough position. Loyalty to the clan meant defending the leader's position. However, both Littlestep and Bluetoes had never supported Snakestar's decision in the slightest.

"This will never happen again, Mouseleap. I'll be sure of it."

"You're right." Mouseleap glared at Bluetoes, her voice lowering into a harsh snarl. "Next time, we will be raiding your camp. Leave. Now. Drag that evil cat back to your territory."

Littlestep prepared to argue, but Bluetoes stopped him with a curt nod. "Let's go. Get his hind legs." Together, the two carried Snakestar like an over-sized kit out of the Shadowclan cave. As Littlestep helped lower the leader down just outside the cave entrance, Stonejaw took over for him.

"There are stil a few of our warriors inside." Stonejaw meowed before gripping Snakestar's scruff beside Bluetoes as the brothers carefully dragged their leader down the steep path that led to the bottom of the mountain.

Littlestep turned and padded back inside, finding Minnowpaw and Flakepaw crouched worriedly at Leopardspring's side. The young warrior was shaking beside the body of Barktuft, several Shadowclan cats shooting him glares.

"I swear, I didn't mean to." Leopardspring wailed at no one in particular. "It was an accident. I would never kill another cat, let alone an elder!"

Littlestep nudged the warrior to his paws. "I believe you. Now it's time to go." With a glance around, Littlestep was amazed at how much blood could come from a single cat. The Shadowclan warriors nearby had begun to gather near Barktuft's body, each with pained, sorrowful eyes.

"Littlestep, how could that have happened?" Leopardspring was shaky on his paws, and it was obvious that the young tom was exhausted from such a long battle. With his small amount of battle experience, Littlestep was surprised that Leopardspring did not flee when the battle was looking tough. "I swear, I didn't know I was battling an elder, I didn't even swing that hard. I was aiming for his forelegs, not his neck. He fell. It happened so fast."

"It's okay, Leopardspring." The small statured medicine cat tried to offer comforting words, but they seemed to evade him. "Death happens. It's something you have to accept and move on from. This battle was a mistake. It wasn't your fault."

As the two toms reached the bottom of the mountain, Minnowpaw and Flakepaw followed just behind. Littlestep left Leopardpring with Sandfur and joined Bluetoes. Snakestar had just begun to regain consciousness. As Snakestar stumbled to his paws and looked around, an enraged wild look filled his eyes.

"No! Why are you here?" Snakestar spat in Bluetoes' face before turning and hissing at all of the cats that he had originally forbade from accompanying the battle patrol.

"He's your deputy, Snakestar." Halfbreeze snarled. "It's his job to clean up your mistakes."

With a hiss, Snakestar lunged forward on wobbly legs, thrashing out with a claw and raking Halfbreeze over an eye. With blood dripping from her chin, Halfbreeze shook her head in pain as Bluetoes rammed into his leader.

"What's wrong with you!?" The deputy stared down at Snakestar, who lay in the dirt. "She's your clanmate, Haven't your actions caused enough blood shed for one night?"

Littlestep nosed his mother's shoulder as he inspected the cut. It was deep, but would heal. He wouldn't be able to tell if her eye was damaged until the bleeding stopped. Minnowpaw rushed to his side as well, with the few herbs they had remaining.

"Do we have any horsetail left?" He asked as he licked away some of the blood that har formed under Halfbreeze' eye.

"Uh, no. We used it all." Minnowpaw shuffled through the herbs. "Would marigold work?"

"It'll have to do for now." Minnowpaw began to chew a poultice. "When we get back to camp, you're going straight to my den."

As Littlestep applied the poultice, the rest of the group began to form up, ready to go. It didn't take long for the poultice to take effect, causing the bleeding to slow. Littlestep stepped back and nodded to Bluetoes who had been patiently waiting.

"Let's go." Bluetoes announced, and together the Thunderclan patrol began their long trek back to Thunderclan's camp. The walk was slow, as many cats were injured, and Shadowclan's territory was not forgiving. Together, the cats made their way to the border, where they walked along the gorge for many pawsteps. They passed the area they had crossed initially until they came upon the large old tree trunk that acted as a bridge across.

Littlestep passed halfbreeze of to Bluetoes, who led his mate gently across to the other side. Littlestep stuck close to Minnowpaw, watching her carefully in case she slipped. Once all of the cats were safely on the other side, the pace of the group seemed to pick up and the spirits of Littlestep's clan mates rose. Every cat seemed to feel much more relaxed once they set paw in familiar territory.

When Thunderclan's camp finally came into view, relieved voices began to wash through the group, Littlestep's included.

"I'm looking forward to a long night's rest in our den." He meowed to Minnowpaw, who was practically falling asleep on her paws beside him.

"Oh, uh-huh. Me too."

"I'm sure Mistypaw will be glad to see you, too." Littlestep chuckled as he ducked through the tunnel that led into camp. When he emerged on the other side, he was slightly surprised to see Snakestar padding over to highrock, calling a clan meeting.

"Can't this wait? We're exhausted." Creamfur complained, limping form her wounds.

"And injured." Halfbreeze pointed out.

"No!" Snakestar snapped. He didn't climb to highrock, but addressed his clan from the ground. "I've decided. Bluetoes, I releave you from your duty."

Shocked meows rippled through the crowd.

"What? You relieve him?" Halfbreeze yowled in her mate's defense. "He's done nothing but help our clan!"

"Bluetoes has always been loyal to Thunderclan!" Spottedpelt chimed in.

"He's earned everyone's respect among all four clans." Stonejaw argued. "He is a model deputy!"

"Enough!" Snakestar snapped. "I've made my decision. That foxhearted warrior has plotted behind my back and turned my warriors against me." Snakestar's tail lashed behind him as he glared at his clanmates. "He is a cowardly embarrassment to Thunderclan, and from now on he is a mere warrior."

"Mere warrior?" Sandfur rose to her paws. "Being a warrior is no 'mere' task. We put our live on the line for you tonight. Including Bluetoes."

"No. Only one of you performed to my standards tonight." Snakestar's gaze cut through the crowd of warriors around him, resting on two cats. "Leopardspring was the only one of you to do what I ordered. To kill them. He succeeded and you all failed. I saw him fight. Without fear, without cowardice. He will be our new deputy."

"You're standards?" Spotted yowled across the clearing. "Your standards are for us to murdur other cats?"

"Leopardspring is too young to be a deputy! He hasn't even had an apprentice yet!"

"You expect us to accept Leopardspring in place of Bluetoes?!"

Enraged cries erupted from the cats of Thunderclan. Littlestep could see the rising tension. Many of the younger cats seemed to be supporting the leader's decision, while the senior warriors were outraged.

"Um, actually." A low, shaky voice cut through the crown. Leopardspring looked blankly towards Snakestar. "Barktuft's death was an accident. I didn't do it to follow your orders. I wouldn't have killed an elder in cold blood. There's no honor in that." The young spotted tom looked down at his paws as Sandfur's tail rested on his shoulders in comfort.

Silence hung in the air at the new clan deputy's words. Littlestep watched as a sour look developed across Snakestar's face. With a thrash of his tail, the leader dug his claws into the ground beneath him.

"So not a single one of you could follow a simple command?" Snakestar spat. "Useless. Every one of you!"

"I may not have killed any cat." Blackleaf stepped forward from where he had been brooding at the front of the crowd. "But I mortally wounded several of Shadowclan's rubbish warriors." The black tom strode forward, turning toward the rest of his clanmates as he spoke. "I was the only one who held my own back there, even before the other patrol arrived."

"That's true. I was there with him. He fought off every warrior that attacked him." Russetsky chimed in to his brother's claims. "If the battle hadn't ended when it did, Blackleaf would have ended two cats' lives tonight."

Littlestep felt the fur on his back rise in disgust. Since when have we taken to bragging about killing others?!

"Blackleaf has always taken interest in planning patrols." Darkdapple sat beside the two toms. "He might a good choice for deputy instead."

"Blackleaf?" Snakestar turned his head to peer at his son. "Well, you did fight well earlier. And I know I raised you to be able to kill." The clan leader waved his tail to hush the crowd of Thunderclan cats. "Leoparspring! You're too weak. Blackleaf will be deputy instead." He announced as outraged complaints once again began to fill the air.

 **Phew! This was a long one! Over 7,000 words!**

 **I have to admit this one was a little more challenging to write. I haven't written many battle type scenes before, as I prefer to focus a lot more on developing the relationships between characters. However, a lot happened in this chapter. I was a little surprised at the end when Snakestar demoted Bluetoes. I honestly wasn't planning on that happening until a lot later, but it just seemed to happen. Also I want to apologize for some of the mistakes that will be throughout this chapter. I was planning on publishing it by midnight Jan. 10th, buuuut now it's almost 2 am Jan. 11th. So I really rushed through the normal editing phase that i do for all of my stories.**

 **So I wanted to talk a bit about a few of the scenes that I wanted to be major. For example when Snakestar and Peakstar died at each other's paws, and the death of Barktuft. What did you think? What were the most epic moments in your opinion?**

 **For those who own some of the cats that are featured in this story - How were your cats depicted? What would you change? I would like to try and get them to behave the way that their creators originally planned. Also, what Riverclan and Windclan cats would you like to see? They're getting a chapter very soon!**

 **And once again, let me know who your favorite character is so far! Personally I have so many characters that I have fallen in love with and every chapter I find a new cat to admire. This chapter was definitely Darkpaw. The close bond she shares with her mentor Ashflight is how I would picture my apprenticeship if I were i the warrior world. Also, keep an eye out for Sharpnose/Ashflight moments. Just a hint ;)**

 **Please review if you haven't already, as I always love to hear people's feedback. I love creative criticism, but keep in mind, I already know about a lot of the spelling/grammatical mistakes that will be scattered throughout this chapter. Sorry again! I would love to hear any questions you have about past/present/future plot lines, characters, setting, etc. Anyways, thanks for reading!**


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